Brazilian Leader, 75, Has 4th Abdominal Operation in 20 Days

President-elect Tancredo Neves underwent abdominal surgery Tuesday for the fourth time in 20 days, heightening the political suspense in Brazil over his health.

The operation at the Sao Paulo Heart Institute was described as successful by physicians. It was designed to correct a hernia in the abdominal wall that had pinched a portion of the lower intestine, causing an inflammation.

The 75-year-old Neves was unable to take office March 15 as the head of a new democratic government because he was hospitalized for emergency surgery. Congress then swore in Vice President Jose Sarney, who has been acting president during Neves’ illness, and a Cabinet of ministers chosen by Neves before he was hospitalized.

New Shock to Leaders

Tuesday’s operation came as a new shock to Brazil’s political leaders, who have been trying to make the new government function without the leadership of Neves, a symbol of democracy here, after 21 years of military rule.

Neves had been reported in daily medical bulletins to be recovering well from previous abdominal operations that began March 15, with one for removal of an intestinal inflammation called diverticulitis.

Subsequently, he was operated on twice more--first on March 20 to remove intestinal adhesions that had caused a blockage and intestinal disorders, then on March 26 for hemorrhaging at the site of the initial incision in his intestine. Before the third operation, he was transferred from a hospital here in Brasilia, the capital, to Sao Paulo.

Described as Minor

Tuesday’s surgery was described by physicians as minor, compared to the three previous operations, and was conducted with only local anesthesia.

Earlier Tuesday, before the unexpected news of the latest operation, the government adopted strong measures to combat inflation. Prices rose 12.7% in the last month, and the country’s new economic authorities reacted by imposing a virtual freeze on consumer prices for 30 days.

From automobiles to rice and beans, no price increases are to be allowed, the inter-ministerial Price Council announced. The halt also applies to the price of such things as electricity, bus fares, gasoline and telephone calls.

Neves promised workers before he was elected that he would adjust wages to cover losses of purchasing power through price increases. A new national minimum wage must be decreed by law May 1.

Putting the brakes on prices now, with inflation running at an annual rate of 234%, is an emergency measure designed to head off a wave of labor strikes over wage demands.

Strike by Bus Drivers

But a strike by bus drivers paralyzed public transportation Tuesday in Brasilia, a city of 1.5 million people, and many government workers were unable to reach their offices. Unions representing 500,000 automotive and metal industry workers are threatening to halt work this month if wages are not adjusted to fully compensate for inflation. The port of Santos, the biggest in Brazil, is on the verge of a strike.

The high inflation was generated in the last three years, during which the military regime lost control of budget deficits and public spending.

‘Letters of Intent’

The International Monetary Fund signed seven “letters of intent” with the military regime designed to stabilize prices. But all the agreements broke down.

The IMF suspended Brazil’s access to $1.5 billion remaining in a stabilization fund that began in 1982 with $4.5 billion. The international banks that hold most of Brazil’s $100-billion foreign debt are awaiting a new agreement between Brazil and the fund before reopening negotiations on refinancing about $45 billion in debt due between now and 1991.