AIIMS doctors flown in, surgery performed: 10 updates on Jayalalithaa’s health
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa was back in the headlines late Sunday after she suffered a cardiac arrest. Tamil Nadu has been put on high alert but there is little information on her condition or treatment.
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa was back in the headlines late Sunday after she suffered a cardiac arrest. Tamil Nadu has been put on high alert but there is little information on her condition or treatment.
But this isn’t the first time the 68-year-old leader has had health complications. She was first admitted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai in September and declared completely fit last month. Here’s what we know so far about her health and recovery:
1) The AIADMK chief has undergone a surgery to repair a blood vessel on Monday morning and continues to be on advanced life support and a heart pumping machine that is assisting her breathing and heartbeat.
2) A special team of doctors -- two heart and two lung specialists -- have been flown in from Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences to Chennai. The health minister has assured all support and the home minister has spoken to the Tamil Nadu governor.
3) The AIADMK chief was first admitted to hospital on September 22 with complaints of high fever and dehydration. For the first 10 days, the hospital sent out cryptic health bulletins that specified little other than she had fever and was recovering. Her party also insisted she would be back in the administrative saddle soon.
4) But soon it became clear that Jayalalithaa had far more health complications than had been previously known. On October 1, Apollo flew in a doctor from London who specialises in critical care and multi-organ failure.
Read | Live updates on Jayalalithaa’s health from Chennai
5) A few days later on October 7, a three-member team of specialists – a cardiologist, a pulmonary specialist and an anaesthesiologist -- was rushed to Chennai from Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
6) In the second week of October, Apollo detailed her treatment for the first time -- decongestion of lungs, nebulisation for breathing, administration of antibiotics, supportive therapy, and general nursing care. Experts said her critical organs had been severely affected and the infection is worse than previously thought of.
7) On October 29, Jayalalithaa signed her party’s election affidavits with her thumb print, and not her signature, because her right hand was swollen and inflamed, doctors said. On November 4, Apollo Hospital sent out a statement that Jayalalithaa had “fully recovered” and was now “conscious and aware of things around her. But she didn’t leave the hospital.
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8) On November 12, the hospital said Jayalalithaa was “fit to be discharged, and can leave whenever she wants to. “We have already said that her infection is fully under control,” said Apollo chairman Prathap Reddy
9) The secrecy shrouding the chief minister’s health has lead to wild speculation and a flurry of fake messages and morphed photos. For the first 10 days, a photo showing the CM in an intensive care bed went viral across the state, only to be proven fake. Audio messages faked in Jayalalithaa’s voice also did the rounds. Her supporters held public pujas, others tried to immolate themselves and pierced their skins to please the gods. The police arrested several people and registered more than 50 cases.
10) Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation saw a bevy of politicians from all over the country, including central ministers and opposition politicians, visiting Apollo Hospital. The CM’s absence has also triggered a administrative vacuum that has been filled up her trusted lieutenant Sheela Balakrishnan, who is looking after the daily affairs of the state. The retired IAS officer operates from a room close to the CM’s in Apollo and instructs even ministers.
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