Brazil's Motta returns to hospital with fever
Reuters, Tuesday, April 07, 1998 at 17:17
SAO PAULO, April 7 (Reuters) - Brazil's Communications
Minister Sergio Motta returned to the hospital Tuesday for
treatment of a lung infection and breathing difficulties
prompted by a cold and fever, officials said.
A statement released by the Communications Ministry said
Motta was admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo
for treatment of the same "pulmonary illness" he has been
suffering from since November.
Motta, the close ally of President Fernando Henrique
Cardoso and the overseer of Brazil's drive to privatize its
telecommunications sector, was was hospitalized late last year
with breathing difficulties.
He traveled to the United States last month for a
comprehensive check-up.
Motta's health has been a concern for Brazil's stock
market, where preferred stock of Telebras (SAO:TEL_.P), the
federal telecommunications holding company, is the benchmark
issue. The bolsa has several times been shaken by news or
rumors concerning his health.
On Tuesday, Motta's return to the hospital contributed to
the Sao Paulo bolsa's 0.85 percent decline, traders said.
For the last two weeks, the minister has been back on the
job, though breathing with the help of portable oxygen tanks
and a nasal catheter.
Over the past two years, Motta has survived a heart attack
and undergone surgery for removal of a tumor from his appendix.
james.craig@reuters.com))
Copyright 1998, Reuters News Service |
