Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has safely emerged from an operation to remove a tumor on his prostate gland, reported local media Wednesday.
A surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from Santos’ prostrate gland has proven successful, according to Juan Pablo Uribe, the director of the Santa Fe Foundation medical clinic.
Doctors Adolfo Llinas, Felipe Gomez and Edgar Celis, who led the medical team, placed Santos under regional anesthesia in the lower half of his body. Santos is expected recover in hospital for the next two to three days.
The president, who arrived at the prestigious Bogota clinic at 6:30 this morning, was upbeat ahead of the operation. “The time has come. I am going in and I am optimistic. God willing everything will be fine,” said the head of state.
Santos publicly announced Monday that he had prostate cancer. While he admitted he would, “have some physical limitations,” he claimed he would still be able to exercise his presidential duties.
