Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is in a delicate health situation after his cancer recurred, Minister of Communication and Information Ernesto Villegas said Wednesday.

"The president is a human being, our people have to understand that," he said in a statement posted on the ministry's website, adding that Chavez is in a delicate situation after four surgeries in a year and a half.

Chavez underwent a fourth round of surgery on Tuesday in Cuba after doctors detected a recurrence of cancerous cells in his body. He was first diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and has undergone radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hyperbaric oxygenation.

Villegas also said it was important that Venezuelans be prepared for Chavez's possible inability to complete his 2013-2019 term.

Earlier Wednesday, Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro told national radio and television that Chavez's surgery Tuesday had been complex, difficult and delicate, and his recovery would probably undergo a similar process.

Meanwhile, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, who traveled to Havana on Monday to visit Chavez before his surgery, told reporters on Wednesday that "Chavez is well despite the difficulty of the surgery."

Correa said the revolutionary reforms started by Chavez in Venezuela should continue, even without Chavez at the helm.