Sao Paulo: Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo, who has cancer, returned home to resume his duties on Wednesday after undergoing emergency treatment in a Brazilian hospital over the weekend.
Lugo, 59, a former Roman Catholic bishop, was rushed to the Sao Paulo hospital on Saturday with what doctors initially feared was a serious infection. Further tests revealed a blood clot, likely linked to his chemotherapy treatment.
"This President will continue to undergo a series of treatments to fully repair a somewhat delicate state of health, but I assure you that once we`re through this period, we will redouble our efforts," Lugo said after landing in Paraguay.
Lugo`s return should help ease concerns about his health in the impoverished country, which has enjoyed a decade of political stability following a volatile period after the end of Alfredo Stroessner`s dictatorship in 1989.
The moderate leftist, who took office two years ago, was diagnosed in August with non-Hodgkin`s lymphoma, a cancer that originates in the lymphatic system.
Lugo`s presidency has been clouded by several paternity scandals. He has been under pressure this year from violence blamed on a small armed group operating in remote northern areas of the poor, soy-exporting country.
Bureau Report
