Brazil’s President Lula in intensive care after brain surgery

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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is currently in stable condition in intensive care in Sao Paulo after undergoing surgery to drain a bleed on his brain.

The injury is linked to an accident the president had in October, when he fell at home, suffering a small brain haemorrhage and trauma to the back of his head.

A note published by the government on Tuesday said Lula was “well” and is being monitored in the intensive care unit.

Lula underwent an MRI scan late on Monday in the Brazilian capital of Brasília after suffering a headache. The scan detected an intracranial haemorrhage, and the president was transferred to São Paulo for surgery at the city’s Sirio Libanes hospital.

In October, Lula cancelled a trip to Russia for a BRICS group summit after a fall at his house.

At the time, his doctor — Roberto Kalil — told GloboNews TV that the president’s fall caused “great” trauma to the back of his head and would need stitches.

He was advised to avoid long-haul travel and instead participated in the meeting via videoconference.

The 79-year-old leader has faced other health issues in the past. In September 2023, he underwent a hip operation to end pain he described as “unbearable”.

He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2011, which he recovered from after undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Lula led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, winning another term in October 2022 when he defeated Jair Bolsonaro in a competitive race. He told CNN in an interview last month that he was “willing to run again” but hoped it wouldn’t be “necessary”.

“I hope that we’ll have other candidates and so that we can have great political renovation in the country and in the world,” Lula said.