Fidel Castro suffered an embolic stroke and is currently in a state of eminently delicate health. His doctor says he doesn’t recognize anyone and may never be seen in public again.
“He suffered an embolic stroke and recognizes absolutely no one,” said Venezuelan Doctor José Marquina, a respected doctor who in the past has claimed to have direct information about the illness affecting President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela.
“The people with a condition of this nature have difficulty eating and, of course, they end up with total deficit in their neurologic capacities,” Marquina added.
Castro and his health has been ongoing speculation for some time now as he has been seen in the public less and less. According to Marquina, the former Cuban dictator is receiving constant and specialized medical care at his home in El Laguito, Havana.
“He could last weeks like that, but what I can say is that we’ll never again see him in public,” Marquina said in a telephone interview about Castro’s condition.
The one-time revolutionary’s last public appearance was in March, when he had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI.
In Cuba, Castro’s health is considered a matter of national security so there haven’t been many official details released.