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'I believe he is extremely lucky to be alive,' Royal Darwin Hospital General Manager Len Notaras said.
But while his wounds are 'extremely serious,' surgeons in Australia, where the ailing president was evacuated to after being shot in the chest and back by rebels in Dili early on Monday, expect him to make a full recovery.
Mr Ramos-Horta, 58, underwent two and a half hours of surgery late on Monday but was in intensive care recovering well from his second operation in 24 hours, Dr Notaras said.
'Three surgeons were working on the gunshot wounds he sustained in the incident. The operation went well and President Ramos-Horta is quite stable,' Dr Notaras said adding that doctors were treating three bullet wounds and that the head of state would need a further operation within 36 hours.
'He remains in an extremely serious condition as you don't get shot by a high velocity weapon and not have serious injuries,' he said adding that Mr Ramos-Horta was in an induced coma to manage his condition and surgeries.
Doctors in the northern Australian city of Darwin removed fragments of one bullet and worked on the lower lobe of his right lung, which was badly damaged, Dr Notaras said.
Shrapnel from a second bullet remains in his body and will be removed in future surgery, the next round of which is expected to take place within a day and a half, he said.
Mr Ramos-Horta, who was reportedly out walking when gun-toting rebels arrived at his residence, was hit by two or possibly three bullets that formed three deep wounds in his lower chest and back, Dr Notaras said.
'It's difficult to immediately tell with high-velocity weapons how many bullets hit him, but it was certainly two, possibly three, that seem to have entered roughly from the same direction - the right side and back,' he said.
Initial reports that Mr Ramos-Horta had been hit in the stomach were incorrect, Dr Notaras said, as those wounds were caused by exploratory surgery, not the would-be assassins who hit the president in the chest and shoulder-blade.
Mr Ramos-Horta is sedated and on a ventilator, but Notaras said he was not on life support as he would be able to breath even without mechanical assistance.
He will remain unconscious and in intensive care until at least Thursday.
'It's (sedation and ventilation) working quite well and we will continue that for the next couple of days until such time as the operations and repairs have been done and we feel quite happy with that,' Dr Notaras said.
But while Mr Ramos-Horta's injuries are serious and the next 36 to 48 hours will be critical in determining whether he will recover fully or not, doctors were hopeful of a good result.
'We are quietly confident that as long as there are no untoward complications, such as infections and soforth, we expect to have a reasonable path forward and to see a full recovery,' he said.
'The president is a relatively fit and healthy man who takes care of himself and his response so far has been very, very good,' he added.
Mr Ramos-Horta suffered severe blood loss from his wounds immediately after being shot and could have died had he not received immediate medical attention, Dr Notaras said.
'A substantial amount of fresh blood (was) transfused ... in Timor, something like 16 units of blood, which is something like eight litres. There was severe risks and had he not been resuscitated ... up there (Timor), the story could be a much more tragic one,' Dr Notaras said.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith was on Wednesday due to travel to Darwin to meet his East Timorese counterpart Zacharias da Costa, who is visiting Mr Ramos-Horta, to reinforce Australia's support for the fledgling nation in crisis. -- AFP
