Marxist patriarch and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, who was admitted to a Kolkata hospital with respiratory problems on Friday, remained in a “very critical condition” till late Wednesday. Basu, 96, diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia, was put on a ventilator and given an oxygen
mask.
“He is still in a very critical condition. His blood pressure and urine quantity are showing better response,” his medical bulletin said in the evening.
Cardiologist A.K. Maiti, Basu’s family physician, said, “We’re concerned with his physical resistance since he is 96.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee are expected to visit Basu on Thursday.