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Arun Jaitley stays ‘critical’, leaders across political spectrum visit AIIMS

The BJP leader has been put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which is used for those patients whose lungs and heart are incapable of operating on its own.

Arun Jaitley stays ‘critical’, leaders across political spectrum visit AIIMS

Arun Jaitley (File Photo: IANS)

Several Union Ministers including Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani and Jitendra Singh, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat as well as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the AIIMS on Sunday to enquire about the health of former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who is in a critical condition.

Jaitley has been put on life support system. The BJP leader has been put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which is used for those patients whose lungs and heart are incapable of operating on its own.

Others who visited the hospital on Sunday included Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Himachal Pradesh Governor Kalraj Mishra, RSS Joint General Secretary Krishna Gopal and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh.

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Earlier on Saturday, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati visited AIIMS to enquire about his health. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flew to Delhi on Saturday and directly went to the hospital from the airport.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had visited the hospital on Friday.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey were present during their visits.

Among other leaders, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, and Congress leaders Abhishek Singhvi and Jyotiraditya Scindia also visited the hospital.

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.

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