With former finance minister and BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s health condition continuing to remain “critical”, leaders across the political spectrum visited All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, to enquire about his health.
Meanwhile, there are reports that Jaitley has been put on life support.
Jaitley has been put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), The Hindu reported citing hospital sources.
ECMO is used for those whose lungs and heart are incapable of operating on its own.
Earlier on Saturday, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati visited AIIMS, where Arun Jaitley is admitted in the hospital’s ICU since August 9.
Earlier on Friday, President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited AIIMS to enquire about the former finance minister’s condition.
The President visited the hospital around noon, while Shah and Adityanath visited AIIMS around 11.15 pm.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey were present during their visits.
According to the sources, Jaitley, 66, is critical with a multidisciplinary team of doctors supervising his treatment.
Earlier, it was said that he is haemodynamically stable, which meant he has a stable heart pump.
Meanwhile, the AIIMS had not issued any bulletin on Jaitley’s health condition.
Arun Jaitley was admitted to the AIIMS on August 9 after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and other top BJP leaders had visited the hospital the same day to inquire about his health.
A lawyer by profession, Jaitley had been an important part in Narendra Modi’s Cabinet during his first tenure as prime minister. He held the finance and defence portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government.
Jaitley did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections owing to his ill-health.
Arun Jaitley has been suffering from multiple health conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
In May this year, Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS for treatment.
He had undergone renal transplant on May 14 last year with Piyush Goyal filling in for him in the finance ministry at that time. Jaitley, who had stopped attending office since early April 2018, was back in the finance ministry on August 23, 2018.
Earlier this year, Jaitley underwent treatment for soft cell sarcoma, a type of cancer that affects soft tissues of the body, including fat, muscles and blood vessels.
In September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to correct the weight he had gained because of a long-standing diabetic condition.