Madrid, Spain ~ Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro is in ''very grave'' condition after three failed operations and complications from an intestinal infection, a Spanish newspaper said Today.
The newspaper El País cited two unnamed sources from the Gregorio Marañón hospital in the Spanish capital of Madrid. The facility employs surgeon Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido, who flew to Cuba in December to treat Castro, 80.
In a report published on its website, El País said: ''A grave infection in the large intestine, at least three failed operations and various complications have left the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro, laid up with a very grave prognosis.''
Cuba has released little information on Castro's condition since he temporarily ceded power in July to his brother, Defense Minister Raúl Castro, until he could recover from emergency intestinal surgery.
El País' report, which could not immediately be confirmed, was a rare detailed description from a major media outlet about Castro's condition.
The U.S. government had speculated that Castro could suffer from cancer, a supposition denied by Sabrido. Some U.S. doctors believed Castro was suffering from diverticular disease, which can cause bleeding in the lower intestine, especially in people over 60. In severe cases, emergency surgery may be required.
That idea was supported by El País, which reported that its sources said Castro had suffered a bout of the disease.
''In the summer, the Cuban leader bled abundantly in the intestine,'' El País reported. ``This adversity led him to the operating table, according to the medical sources. His condition, moreover, was aggravated because the infection spread and caused peritonitis, the inflammation of the membrane that covers the digestive organs.''
A statement attributed to Castro
was released on New Year's Eve saying his recovery was ''far from
bein
g
a lost battle.''
CFPA: How many times have we been given the false hope that "El Caballo" Castro was about to die, only for that hope to be dashed to the grown. Will he die this year? More than likely, but this evil pig is taking his time doing it, the only consolation we have is that he is suffering.... but the longer he lives the longer the Cuban people suffer. Today would be a great day for Castro's death!
Created: 16 Jan 2007