Rumours rife Chavez dying as he returns to Cuba

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is to undergo new surgery in Cuba.

HAVANA, Cuba, Wednesday, February 22, 2012 – Cuba’s renowned medical expertise is being called into play again as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has announced that he will be returning to the island for surgery in the coming days.

The new surgery that he will undergo in Cuba will be performed by the same medical team that removed a cancerous tumour from his pelvic region last year.

Speaking over the phone for the TV program ‘Contragolpe’, aired by Venezolana de Television, Chavez said the operation would take place “without rush and in due course.” He denied rumours that the cancer had spread aggressively.

“I completely deny what’s going around that I have metastasis in the liver or I don’t know where, that the cancer has spread all over my body and that I’m already dying,” he said.

Chavez had announced at home on Tuesday (February 21) that, during a medical check-up in Havana last weekend, a lesion was detected in the area from where he had the cancerous tumour removed.

He explained that the surgery would not take place in Venezuela because it would then be necessary to implement and activate several mechanisms, while in Cuba they would require the same personnel and equipment.

However, the Venezuelan leader said the operation should be less complicated than the previous one in June 2011. Click here to receive free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)