A leading surgeon has flown from Madrid to Havana to determine whether President Castro should undergo more surgery.

José Luis García Sabrido, the chief surgeon at the Gregorio Maranon hospital, flew to the Cuban capital on Thursday, said Manuel Lamela, a regional health official in Madrid.

He added that the health department in Madrid had been sending medicines to Cuba since June but declined to give any information that could indicate the nature of Fidel Castro’s condition.

He said that Spain would continue to give its support and assistance to the Cuban government.

President Castro, 80, has not appeared in public since undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in July. Since then, there has been little information about his condition.

The President has placed his younger brother, Raúl, in charge of the Government. President Chávez of Venezuela, a close ally of the Cuban communist leader, recently denied reports that President Castro was suffering from cancer.

Dr García Sabrido has operated on important personalities in the past and is very prestigious in Spain and abroad. He is highly regarded by the Cuban Government and recently addressed a surgery conference on the Caribbean island.