Jayalalithaa to stay longer in hospital, makes progress

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa is making gradual progress and will require longer stay at the hospital, Apollo Hospitals said on Thursday.

The hospital said: "Based on detailed deliberations and clinical examination, the expert group of doctors from Apollo Hospitals have drawn up a detailed medical management plan keeping in view the Chief Minister's known history of diabetes and winter bronchitis in inclement weather."

While the statement is silent on the ailment Jayalalithaa suffers from, it said: "The present treatment regimen includes continued respiratory support, neubilisation, drugs to decongest the lungs, antibiotics, nutrition, general nursing care and supportive therapy."

According to Apollo Hospitals, the consensus opinion of all experts is that the line of treatment given to Jayalalithaa should be continued and she will require a longer stay in the hospital.

Jayalalithaa, who was admitted last month, is under observation of a panel of doctors consisting of intensivists, cardiologists, respiratory physicians, infectious disease specialists and diabetologists.

The hospital said a team of experts from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi -- G.C. Khilnani, Professor, Department of Pulmonary, Nitish Naik, Professor, Department of Cardiology, and Anjan Trikha , Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology -- had deliberations on October 5 on treatment protocols given to Jayalalithaa.

The AIIMS team examined Jayalalithaa and will be here till Friday.

British doctor Richard John Beale, who had earlier examined Jayalalithaa, also examined her on Thursday.

The 68-year-old Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospitals on September 22 for fever and dehydration.

While Apollo Hospitals initially said Jayalalithaa was cured of fever, later it said she was being treated for infection.

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by social activist Traffic Ramaswamy seeking information about Jayalalithaa's health condition.

The court dismissed the case as one filed for seeking publicity.