Ex-President Pranab Mukherjee, coronavirus positive, on ventilator support after surgery
Former President Pranab Mukherjee, who informed on Monday that he tested positive for coronavirus, has been put on ventilator support after brain surgery, multiple reports said. The surgery was done to remove a clot from his brain and a few hours after the operation are said to be critical. He has been admitted to the Army's Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital. Here's more.
Mukherjee, 84, informed through a tweet that he learned about his coronavirus diagnosis when he was in the hospital for a separate procedure. "I request the people who came in contact with me in the last week, to please self isolate and get tested for COVID-19," the Congress veteran wrote. He underwent a cardiac procedure in 2014.
Sources told TOI that had Mukherjee not tested positive for coronavirus, he wouldn't have needed ventilator support. "Normally, he would have been weaned off the device after the success of the surgery. However, the doctors are unable to do so in the current situation because he is suffering from COVID-19," a person told the daily, adding that the next few hours are critical.
Yesterday, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh paid a visit to the hospital to inquire about Mukherjee's health. He spent some 20 minutes at the facility. In fact, President Ram Nath Kovind spoke to his daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee to know about his situation. "The President wished him a speedy recovery and good health," a tweet from the official handle of Rashtrapati Bhavan read.
Since yesterday, several politicians have been wishing a speedy recovery for Mukherjee, who was given the highest civilian honor — the Bharat Ratna — in 2019. Abhishek Manu Singhvi said he was surprised by the news. Mukherjee is a "very active, regular walker," he tweeted. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi wrote, "Wishing former President Shri Pranab Mukherjee a speedy recovery."
Notably, several politicians have tested positive for coronavirus in the last few weeks. They include Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Dharmendra Pradhan, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his Karnataka counterpart BS Yediyurappa. India, the third worst-hit nation, now has 2,267,153 total cases. The death toll reached 45,353 while recoveries zoomed past the 15 lakh mark.
