Brasilia, Jul 15 (IANS): Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with an intestinal obstruction and must be transferred to Sao Paulo, where doctors will assess whether he needs an emergency surgery, according to authorities.

The Communication Secretariat of the Brazilian Presidency said on Wednesday that Bolsonaro was admitted to the Armed Forces Hospital here earlier in the day, after suffering from abdominal pain and persistent hiccups, reports Xinhua news agency.

His office said earlier that Bolsonaro would be under observation "for a period of 24 to 48 hours, not necessarily in the hospital".

But according to the latest statement, gastric surgeon Antonio Luiz Macedo, who has been monitoring Bolsonaro's health since he was stabbed during the 2018 electoral campaign, discovered the intestinal obstruction.

Macedo was called to Brasilia to treat the President and is to oversee his evaluation in Sao Paulo.

Macedo "found an intestinal obstruction and decided to take him to Sao Paulo, where he will carry out complementary tests to determine whether emergency surgery is needed or not", according to the statement.