The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on Tuesday said former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was responding well to medication, and that his vitals are stable . However, it added that the 93-year-old will continue to remain in hospital till the “infection is controlled”.
Vajpayee was admitted to AIIMS on Monday . He has been suffering from a lower respiratory tract infection and has been undergoing dialysis for kidney ailments, hospital sources said.
A team of doctors under the supervision of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria have been conducting tests on the 93-year-old, the hospital had said in a statement on Monday. Vajpayee was admitted for a routine check-up, and tests had found that his condition was “stable”, the hospital had said.
“He was admitted with complaints of lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues. He is in the ICU and is undergoing dialysis,” a source at AIIMS said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the BJP veteran at AIIMS on Monday. He also met Vajpayee’s family, according to an official statement, and spent nearly 50 minutes at the hospital.
BJP National President Amit Shah, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Minister of Health JP Nadda also paid the ailing leader a visit.
Vajpayee served as prime minister on three separate occasions — briefly in 1996 and for two terms between 1998 and 2004. A distinguished lawmaker, he received the title of ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian’ in 1994. In 2015, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.
With inputs from agencies