Brazil's Lula undergoes surgery for brain hemorrhage

Former Brazilian  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, during the Socialist Party convention in Brasilia, on July 29, 2022. [AFP]

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva underwent surgery for a brain hemorrhage related to a recent fall, the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital in Sao Paulo said Tuesday.

"The operation went without complications" on Monday night, and Lula was "doing well, under monitoring" in an intensive care unit, the hospital said in a statement posted on the president's Instagram account.

The hemorrhage was linked to a fall Lula suffered on October 19, the hospital said. Lula had hit his head after falling in a bathroom at the presidential residence in the capital Brasilia and received several stitches.

He was admitted to the hospital's branch in Brasilia on Monday "to undergo an imaging exam after experiencing a headache", the hospital said. The exam found an intracranial hemorrhage.

He was then "transferred to the Sao Paulo unit of the Syrian-Lebanese hospital, where he underwent a craniotomy to drain the hematoma."

A medical team was scheduled to hold a news conference on Tuesday to provide an update.

Lula canceled a planned trip to Russia for a BRICS summit on medical advice following his fall, instead joining the meeting online.

He also failed to attend the United Nations COP29 climate summit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, as planned.

The 79-year-old described his accident as "serious" at the time, during a telephone call with an official from his Workers' Party that was shared on social media.

"I am fine, I had an accident, but it was my fault. It was serious but it did not affect any sensitive area," Lula said in the call.

"I'm taking care of myself... The doctors said I had to wait at least three or four days to find out how much damage the blow had done," Lula said.

Since then, the Brazilian leader has upheld a busy schedule, including last month hosting the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Brasilia.

Lula has frequently talked about his good health and has said he wants to "live to 120".