Basu ‘Slightly Better’ but still Critical
Former West Bengal chief minister and veteran CPM leader Jyoti Basu who is in hospital is now in a ‘slightly better’ though still critical condition, acknowledged former prime minister HD Deve Gowda who visited him.
“He is slightly better. He was put on full ventilation Thursday night as a precautionary measure, but the support has again been reduced to partial since morning. This is a good indicator,” AMRI hospital medical superintendent Debasish Sharma was quoted as saying by IANS.
“His other parameters like urine output, blood pressure and oxygen content in blood are also better,” Sharma said.
Deve Gowda, who visited Baus on Friday morning, said: “A doctor tried to wake him up. He lifted his hand. He did not open his eyes.”
Basu was hospitalized on January 1 after a pneumonia attack and put on ventilator support on January 6 due to acute respiratory problems.
Earlier, attending doctor Susrut Banerjee told reporters that the eight-member medical board constituted to treat the 95-year-old leader was awaiting the final culture and sensitivity reports of the bacterial examinations done on him to discuss the next course of medication.
In response to a query about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s offer of arranging for expert doctors from any part of India, Banerjee said: “We have asked the family and party members whether they think they need any specialist from outside. After all the patient is serious and very old. The results are unknown.”
“It is not possible for us to ascertain the condition of every organ now. Any organ can turn bad at short notice,” he said.
