Paraguay’s President Santiago Pena was discharged Tuesday from a Rio hospital where he spent the night after falling ill while attending a G20 summit, the facility said.
Pena, 46, was taken to the Samaritano Hospital in Rio de Janeiro as local media reported he had suffered chest pains and witnesses said he was whisked away from the summit venue by ambulance.
“The head of state was discharged from hospital early in the morning,” and was free to “continue his agenda,” the hospital said in a statement.
It added that doctors had ruled out heart trouble or any serious ailment.
Pena, in a video released by the Paraguayan presidency, said he had recovered.
Health Minister Maria Teresa Baran said Pena’s test results came back normal and he was healthy, but was advised to rest.
Paraguay is not a member of the G20, but Pena was invited to the summit with other non-bloc leaders by host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil.
Before falling ill, Pena had been giving a presentation on the economic situation of his country to other summit participants, notably on poverty reduction.
In the video, a smiling Pena spoke of an emotional few days with his birthday on Saturday and Paraguay playing Bolivia in a football World Cup qualifier match.
“All these emotions somehow altered my mood,” Pena said by way of explanation, adding he was “strong” now to represent his country at the G20 meeting closing Tuesday.
