Paraguayan President Hospitalised After Falling Ill At G20 Summit

Santiago Peña, the president of Paraguay, was admitted to the hospital on Monday after becoming ill while in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the G20 summit.

“We inform you that the President of the Republic, Santiago Peña, was treated today at the Samaritano Hospital (Botafogo) in Rio de Janeiro due to an indisposition,” Paraguayan authorities said in a statement on Monday evening.

Peña, 46, was taken to the Samaritano Hospital in the Botafogo neighbourhood for treatment after experiencing what officials described as a “malaise” in the afternoon, according to AFP.

In a medical bulletin, the hospital stated that Peña underwent diagnostic tests, and his condition was later described as stable.

“The head of state is doing well, and his current state of health is stable,” the hospital statement added.
Witnesses reported that Peña was transported by ambulance from the summit venue.

Some media outlets in Latin America suggested that the president may have suffered from chest pains, though this was not officially confirmed.

“I spoke with President Peña, who is in Rio de Janeiro’s Samaritano Hospital after a slight illness. He is doing well and awaiting the results of medical tests,” Paraguay’s Vice President Pedro Alliana said on the social network X.

Although Paraguay is not a member of the G20, Peña was invited to the summit by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Before his health issue, Peña had been discussing Paraguay’s economic challenges, including efforts to reduce poverty, with other global leaders.