Castro ‘could govern again’
Mr Castro’s disappearance from the public eye after emergency surgery for intestinal bleeding in July sparked frenzied speculation about his state of health, but surgeon Dr Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido said the communist leader was in good condition.
“His physical activity is excellent, his intellectual
activity intact., I’d say fantastic, he’s recovering from his previous operation,” Dr Sabrido, head of surgery at Madrid’s Gregorio Maranon public hospital, told a news conference after returning from Cuba.
“He asks every day to return to work, but doctors advise him not to, to take it easy,” said Dr Sabrido.
Dr Sabrido, who flew to Cuba last week to examine the 80-year-old leader, said he did not need further surgery but required physical therapy, a strict diet and rest.
“He does not have cancer, he has a problem with his digestive system,” Dr Sabrido said.
“President Castro has no malign inflammation.
“It’s a benign process in which he has had a series of complications.”
In Havana, Cuban officials declined to comment on the doctor’s statement, but his prognosis was in line with what they have been saying for months.
After Mr Castro’s disappearance from the public eye, US intelligence chief John Negroponte told the Washington Post on December 15 that Mr Castro was likely to die within months.
Dr Sabrido said Mr Castro could govern Cuba again.
“Yes, if his recovery is complete, yes,” said the digestive system specialist who knows the Castro family and is a regular visitor to Cuba for medical conferences and to give treatment.
Dr Sabrido said it was the first time he had treated Mr Castro, and he did not plan to return to Cuba in the near future as the leader had an excellent medical team.
Defence Minister Raul Castro, 75, took over the government temporarily on July 31 when surgery forced his brother to relinquish power for the first time since the 1959 revolution.
