The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Sunday cancelled his trip to Russia for the Brics summit after a fall at home caused a minor brain haemorrhage.

In a statement, the presidential office said Lula, 78, would participate via videoconference after receiving medical advice to temporarily avoid long-haul flights. He was initially scheduled to depart at 5pm on Sunday.

Lula’s doctor, Roberto Kalil, said in an interview with GloboNews TV channel that the president had a fall that caused “great” trauma to the back of his head, requiring stitches and resulting in a “small brain haemorrhage” in the temporal-frontal region.

“It’s a condition that will require repeat tests throughout the week. Any brain haemorrhage, theoretically, can worsen in the following days, so observation is important,” Kalil said, adding that Lula was doing well and could engage in normal activities.

According to a medical report issued earlier on Sunday by the Sirio Libanes hospital in Brasília, Lula suffered a laceration to the “occipital region” of the back of his head on Saturday.

The report said Lula “was advised to avoid long-distance air travel but is otherwise able to carry out his regular duties”.

The government announced that Mauro Vieira, the foreign minister, was designated to lead the Brazilian delegation to the Brics summit, departing on Sunday.

Gleisi Hoffmann, a congresswoman and president of Lula’s Workers party, said she had spoken with the president and that “he is doing very well, just avoiding a long trip”.