Lalu shifted to Delhi for treatment at AIIMS - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Lalu shifted to Delhi for treatment at AIIMS

By, Patna
Jul 06, 2022 10:10 PM IST

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and health minister Mangal Pandey met Lalu Prasad at the Patna hospital where he was brought earlier and enquired about is health.

Ailing Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, 74, was flown to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in an air ambulance Wednesday evening, people aware of the matter said.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar visits RJD chief Lalu Prasad at Paras Hospital in Patna on Wednesday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar visits RJD chief Lalu Prasad at Paras Hospital in Patna on Wednesday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

“Prasad was shifted to Delhi on an air ambulance for further management. He has been under the treatment of doctors at AIIMS earlier. The family wanted to take him to Delhi,” said a person who did not want to be named.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Earlier in the day, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and health minister Mangal Pandey met Prasad at the Patna hospital where he was brought earlier and enquired about is health.

“Doctors have said Prasad is stable. The family and the hospital management are in close touch and will decide if he should be taken to Delhi for better management,” Pandey told waiting reporters outside the hospital earlier in the day.

Prasad has been undergoing treatment at the Paras HMRI hospital in Patna where he was admitted on July 4 following a fracture to his right shoulder and back after a fall on the stairs at his residence on July 2.

CM Kumar spoke to the team of doctors attending to the ailing RJD leader, in presence of Prasad’s sons Tejashwi and Tej Pratap Yadav.

Later, talking to reporters, Kumar said, “There seems to be some improvement in Laluji’s condition since he was admitted. But, it would be proper if he is taken to Delhi for better treatment. I pray for his speedy recovery.”

Kumar was also asked about his old ties with Prasad, with whom his political rivalry is well known. “We go a long way back.We have known each other since both of us were young,” said the chief minister who, though younger to Prasad, is now himself above 70 years of age.

He also said the RJD supremo will get help from the state government towards medical expenses, as per rules.

Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the opposition, expressed gratitude for “people from all political affiliations”, who have called up and expressed their sympathy in these trying times.

“The chief minister has been in touch ever since my father got hospitalised. Yesterday, I received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi besides Sonia ji (Congress president) and Priyanka ji,” said the young leader.

A known case of obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease, having undergone valve replacement of the heart, Prasad continues to be on BiPAP oxygen support. He had retained some carbon dioxide, which doctors at the Paras washed out from his lungs. This had led to difficulty in breathing, as a result of which he required intermittent BiPAP oxygen support, doctors attending to him said.

Prasad was admitted to AIIMS Delhi earlier this year after his condition deteriorated.

The former chief minister was incarcerated in December 2017 after being convicted in the first fodder scam case. Since then, he has been convicted in four other cases related to the same scam.

The Jharkhand high court, on April 22 this year, granted the RJD chief bail in the 139.35 crore Doranda treasury case related to the fodder scam. An ailing Prasad was in Delhi after his release from jail in April and returned to Patna on May 25 along with eldest daughter Misa Bharti, at whose Delhi residence he had stayed since his release on bail.

A special CBI court in Ranchi had in February held RJD chief guilty of fraudulent withdrawals from the Doranda treasury in connection with the fifth fodder scam case. On February 21, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment and fined 60 lakh in the fodder scam case. Prasad had held the finance portfolio of undivided Bihar, of which he was the chief minister, during the period of the scam.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Ruchir writes on health, aviation, power and myriad other issues. An ex-TOI, he has worked both on Desk and in reporting. He over 25 years of broadcast and print journalism experience in Assam, Jharkhand & Bihar.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On