The Federal Police convoy carrying former Brazil president (2029-2023) Jair Bolsonaro, heads to the DF Star Hospital where he will undergo hernia surgery, in Brasillia. (Photo by Evaristo Sa / AFP)
Brasília, Brazil: Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro, imprisoned for attempting a coup, has been admitted to hospital in Brasilia where he will undergo a planned surgery, his doctors said Wednesday.
A convoy of black cars and motorcycles entered the parking garage of the DF Star hospital early Wednesday, transporting the ex-president from a federal police headquarters where he began serving a 27-year sentence in November.
The surgery to repair an inguinal hernia -- a protrusion in the groin area due to a tear in the abdominal muscles -- will begin at 1200 GMT on Thursday and last three to four hours, surgeon Claudio Birolini said.
"It's a complex operation, there are no simple operations, but it is scheduled, and we expect everything to go smoothly," Birolini told a press conference outside the hospital.
Bolsonaro will be hospitalized for five to seven days, cardiologist Brasil Caiado said.
He said Bolsonaro was "anxious, a little depressed" and had been suffering bouts of hiccups, a recurring problem, "for about 40 days."
Permission to leave prison
The permission to leave prison granted by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw Bolsonaro's trial, comes after an expert review last week stated that the operation was medically necessary.
Bolsonaro, 70, has grappled with health issues since being stabbed in the stomach during the 2018 presidential campaign. He was recently diagnosed with skin cancer.
Bolsonaro underwent a 12-hour emergency surgery at the same private hospital in April.
In office from 2019 to 2022, he was sentenced by the Supreme Court in September to prison after being found guilty of having led a scheme to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office and to retain power.
Bolsonaro has maintained his innocence, declaring he was a victim of political persecution.
