Ex-AAP minister Satyendar Jain in ICU, put on oxygen support at Delhi's LNJP hospital

A CT scan was conducted, a repeat of his spinal X-ray was done, and Satyendar Jain was put on pain meds for temporary relief, doctors said.

Former Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain has been put on oxygen support and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Lok Nayak Hospital for further treatment after he fell in a bathroom in Tihar jail on Thursday morning, the AAP said. This is also the second time within a week that Jain was taken to a hospital.

The issue over Satyendar Jain’s health was first raised on Monday. (HT Photo)

Doctors at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (DDU), where he was first taken from Tihar, said that Jain was brought to the hospital on Thursday morning after being referred there by the Tihar medical team. “He required some scans, and those facilities are not available with us. Looking at his condition, we referred him to Lok Nayak Hospital for better care. He was on oxygen support, so we waited for him to stabilise a little before putting him in the ambulance,” said a doctor from DDU, requesting anonymity.

Doctors at Lok Nayak Hospital, which is the largest Delhi government facility in the city, said that the former minister is currently in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). A CT scan was conducted, a repeat of his spinal X-ray was done, and he was put on pain meds for temporary relief, doctors said. “We are formulating a treatment plan for him. The priority was to assess if he had a fracture and to control his pain,” a doctor at Lok Nayak Hospital said, also requesting anonymity.

Read: AAP hits out at BJP over Jain’s worsening health in Delhi’s Tihar jail

After Jain was rushed to the hospital, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal indirectly hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a tweet. “A dictator is bent on killing the good person who was working day and night to provide good treatment and good health to the public. That dictator has only one thought - to finish everyone, he lives only in “I”. He only wants to see himself. God is watching all. He will do justice to all. I pray to God for Satyendra ji’s speedy recovery. May God give him the strength to fight against these adverse circumstances,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

Jain, who served as a minister in the Delhi government, was arrested in a money laundering case in May 2022 and has been in jail since then. Nine months after his arrest, Jain resigned from Kejriwal’s cabinet.

Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Earlier also Jain had fallen inside the jail. When he fell this morning, he suffered a head injury. He has been brought to Lok Nayak for an MRI and admitted to the neuro department there. He has trouble breathing since the Covid infection.”

Sanjay Baniwal, the director general (prisons), said that at around 6am on Thursday, Jain slipped inside the bathroom of the medical inspection room of the hospital of jail number 7, where he was kept under observation for general weakness.

“After the incident, the jail doctors examined him, and his vitals were found normal. He was further referred to DDU Hospital as he complained about pain in the back, left leg, and shoulder. Later, he was shifted to LNJP hospital as the doctors of DDU hospital referred him there for necessary tests including a CT scan,” said Baniwal.

Earlier this week, Jain also took an OPD appointment at Safdarjung Hospital’s neurosurgery department for prolonged pain in his spine. Last year, Jain allegedly had a similar fall in the jail’s bathroom and was advised by the doctors to have spinal surgery. “Jain’s back surgery is due for a long time. Since we don’t want to take any risk with other hospitals, the jail administration had sent him to Safdarjung for a second opinion about his back problem,” said Baniwal.

A statement issued by the AAP said that his condition was a result of a fall in the Tihar jail last year, which required immediate spinal surgery.

Read | ‘Public is with us’: Delhi CM Kejriwal as Satyendar Jain's health deteriorates

“Satyendar Jain’s condition has deteriorated after a debilitating injury from a fall in the jail washroom, which resulted in a spinal injury leaving him in excruciating pain. The gravity of the situation demands immediate spinal surgery, as recommended by his attending doctors,” the AAP statement read.

“A closer examination of his medical condition reveals a troubling array of ailments. He suffers from acute lumbar pain, causing vertigo and chronic lower back pain due to a slipped disc. The pain radiates throughout his lower limbs, leaving him with a constant tingling sensation and decreased mobility,” the statement added.

The party also claimed that an MRI conducted on May 3 showed degeneration in all intervertebral discs, with Jain’s doctors advising urgent spinal surgery and proper post-operative care.

“He has been placed as number 416 on a waiting list by jail authorities and is expected to be able to undergo the surgery only after five months,” the party said. Apart from the impacts of his spinal injury, Jain also suffers from sleep apnea and has lost nearly 35kg over the last year, the party added.

AAP said that Jain, for an entire year, has been eating nothing more than fruit and raw vegetables available in jail. “Despite being in jail for around a whole year now, a devout Jain and a deeply spiritual individual, the former minister has pledged to not consume a single grain of food before he visits a temple. The toll on his body is evident, as he has lost 35 kg, succumbing to the effects of muscular atrophy. This unimaginable weight loss serves as a somber reminder of the physical and emotional challenges he has faced during his imprisonment,” said AAP.