Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva canceled his visit to Russia for the BRICS Summit after suffering from a minor brain hemorrhage.
According to The Guardian, the 78-year-old president called off a trip to Russia on Sunday, October 20, 2024, after a fall at home caused a minor brain hemorrhage.
The president's office said in a statement that Lula, who had been advised to avoid long-haul flights, would participate in the 16th BRICS Summit through videoconference. He was scheduled to depart for Russia at 5 pm on Sunday.
Lula’s doctor, Roberto Kalil, in an interview with GloboNews TV, said that the fall caused a “great” trauma to the back of the president’s head which required stitches and caused a “small brain hemorrhage” in the temporal-frontal region.
He told the interviewer, “It’s a condition that will require repeated tests throughout the week. Any brain hemorrhage, theoretically, can worsen in the following days, so observation is important.”
Khalil also informed that Lula was doing well and could perform normal activities.
Moreover, as per the medical reports issued by the Sirio Libanes hospital in Brasília, the president suffered a laceration to the “occipital region” of the head from Saturday fall and “was advised to avoid long-distance air travel but is otherwise able to carry out his regular duties.”
To note, the Foreign Minister of Brazil, Mauro Vieira, will now lead the country’s delegation in the summit scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
