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Castro on the verge of death...again

16:39 H | Topics: Cuba - Politics

Well, we've heard this one before, but Spanish media is saying that Fidel Castro's prognosis is "very grave":

A Spanish newspaper cited sources at a Madrid hospital Tuesday saying that Cuban leader Fidel Castro suffered from a serious infection of the large intestine and faces a "very grave prognosis," but the doctor who examined Castro last month said he stood by his statement of last month that Castro was recovering from his ailments.

El Pais -- one of Spain's largest and most reliable papers -- reported that two sources at the Madrid hospital told its reporters that Castro had suffered complications after three failed surgeries to correct the problems.

Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido, chief of surgery at the public hospital Gregorio Maranon in Madrid, traveled to Havana in December where he examined Castro for about 90 minutes. He told CNN's Al Goodman Tuesday that he was not the source of the report in newspaper El Pais.

"Any statement that doesn't come directly from his (Castro's) medical team is without foundation," Dr. Garcia Sabrido said.

CNN's Sanjay Gupta offers what seems to me the first real explanation of what Castro may be dying from:

...the operation apparently is not working, Gupta cited the report as saying. "He is still leaking half a liter of fluid into his abdominal cavity every single day, which is a lot. He is a very sick guy, and that just leads to more infection," Gupta said.

Via / CNN

Related

• Andy Garcia: Ambivalent about Change in Cuba (Thursday, Feb 21 2008)
• Castro: Not in the Best of Health (Thursday, Jan 17 2008)