Former Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, 77, who was admitted to a private hospital in south Kolkata on May 25 with Covid-19, was released on Wednesday afternoon.
CEO of Woodlands Hospital Dr Rupali Basu said Bhattacharjee’s condition improved during treatment and he was asked to stay in isolation for a week.
“He is on oral medications and oral steroids in limited doses and other supportive measures. His cough has reduced,” said Dr Basu.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders said since Bhattacharjee lives in a small two-room government apartment it would be difficult to keep him in isolation there. He was taken to a private nursing home at CIT Road in central Kolkata so that he can be kept under observation. His wife and daughter will also stay with him.
Bhattacharjee was on intermittent BiPAP support and required less oxygen than before. The oxygen saturation level in his blood stood at 96% on Wednesday.
Bhattacharjee, one of the most senior leaders of the CPI(M), is a patient of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). He could rarely leave home in the last few years.
“He is conscious, alert and talking sensibly. His blood pressure is stable. He is taking food orally and his blood sugar levels are normal,” Woodlands Hospital said in a bulletin.
{{/usCountry}}“He is conscious, alert and talking sensibly. His blood pressure is stable. He is taking food orally and his blood sugar levels are normal,” Woodlands Hospital said in a bulletin.
{{/usCountry}}The former chief minister and his wife Mira Bhattacharjee, 71, tested positive for Covid-19 on May 18. Mira Bhattacharya was admitted at Woodlands Hospital on that day but her husband was treated at home till his oxygen saturation level dropped below 90%. A panel of seven doctors was formed for his treatment.
In October last year, Bhattacharjee was in the same hospital for six days. He was admitted in a critical condition with symptoms such as breathlessness and low oxygen count in blood. However, his condition improved in less than a week.