KOLKATA, 1st January, 2010 (IANS): Nonagenarian Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu was on Friday admitted to a private hospital here with pneumonia.

"A CT scan revealed that he has moderately severe pneumonia," said a top official of the AMRI Hospital (Saltlake), where the 96-year-old leader was admitted on Friday evening. "He is being given intravenous antibiotics. A series of blood tests have been conducted on him. He is under observation," the official said, adding that Basu was fully conscious. A five-member medical board led by cardiologist A K Maity has been formed for Basu's treatment. The veteran Marxist leader was brought to the hospital in an ambulance with 'chest congestion and infection'. The communist patriarch was being given normal diet. His further course of treatment would be decided by the board after reviewing Basu's condition on Saturday. Basu, who was suffering from cough and cold for the last few days, underwent an x-ray at his Salt Lake residence in the afternoon. A concerned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for an update on Basu's condition. A stream of leaders, including West Bengal Left Front Chairman and state CPI(M) Secretary Biman Basu, former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and state Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta rushed to the hospital. Basu, who was chief minister for 23 years, has been ailing for long due to various old-age complications. He was hospitalised last July following gastro-intestinal complications and transient loss of consciousness. In May last year he injured his left leg after a fall at home. This prevented him from casting his vote in the April-May Lok Sabha poll- the first time in 63 years that he did not vote. Basu also has a clot in the brain from a fall in his bathroom in 2008. In 2007, the veteran leader had cracked a rib after a fall in the bathroom. Born 1914 in Kolkata, Basu became chief minister in June 1977. He stepped down voluntarily on health grounds in November 2000. One of the founding members of the CPI(M), Basu almost became India's prime minister in 1996 as the head of a coalition government. But the CPI(M) vetoed the proposal.

Jyoti Basu stable, responding to treatment

KOLKATA, 2nd January (IANS): Veteran CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu, hospitalised after a pneumonia attack, was on respiratory support and stable, according to a medical bulletin Saturday. He is said to be responding well to treatment. The 96-year-old former West Bengal chief minister is in the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU) of the private AMRI hospital. "He was shifted to the ICCU early Saturday for constant observation and better management," said AMRI hospital executive director D.N. Agarwal. Basu was on a liquid diet and fully conscious. "He is responding well to treatment. He is talking. You can say he is stable," Agarwal said, reading out the medical bulletin. A host of political leaders visited the hospital for an update on the Marxist patriarch's condition. While Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee visited Basu in the morning, Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee called on the ailing leader in the evening. "He is ok. I saw him talking to the nurses," Banerjee said after coming out of the hospital. Basu's personal assistant Joy Krishna Ghosh said: "He is stable." The hospital has drafted veteran medicine specialist Mani Chhettri as adviser to the medical board constituted for Basu's treatment. In the morning, the full six-member board examined Basu and decided to keep him in the ICCU for two more days. Basu was admitted to the hospital in SaltLake close to his residence Indira Bhawan Friday evening following chest congestion and infection. A CT scan revealed that he was suffering from pneumonia. He is being administered intravenous anti-biotics. Basu has been ailing due to various old-age complications.

Improvement in Jyoti Basu’s condition

KOLKATA, 3rd January, 2010: Nonagenerian CPI(M) patriach Jyoti Basu’s health condition is reported to be stable. Basu is being treated for pneumonia at the AMRI hospital in salt lake here. “He has shown much improvement compared to yesterday. His condition is now relatively stable,” said Dr Debashish Sharma, Superintendent of AMRI Hospital. “Besides lung congestion due to pneumonia, all other health parameters are okay,” he added. AMRI Hospital superintendent further said the 95-year old former West Bengal Chief Minister would be kept under observation for the next 48 hours in ICU. The six-member medical board constituted to treat Basu examined him Sunday morning. “In their opinion, his condition has marginally improved. He is still on intravenous anti-biotics. He continues to be on respiratory support (external oxygen supply),” the medical board said in the bulletin. Hospital’s executive director D.N. Agarwal said Basu remained on liquid diet and his temperature and blood pressure were normal. Asked how long he would be kept at the ICCU, Agarwal said: “No decision has been taken by the medical board on this. Such decisions will be taken after monitoring his condition on a day-to-day basis. He is fully conscious.” Jyoti Basu was admitted here on Friday following a severe chest infection. The doctors after conducting a proper check-up had detected that he was suffering from slight pneumonia. Earlier in July 2009, Basu was admitted to the hospital following gastro-intestinal complications and transient loss of consciousness. Earlier, he injured his left leg after a fall at home.

Jyoti Basu still critical, but 'positive changes' in health

KOLKATA, 6th January, 2010:Nonagenarian CPI(M) patriach, Former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, hospitalised after an attack of pneumonia, was still critical but doctors attending him on Wednesday evening said his condition has slightly improved. The 95-year-old communist veteran has been put on ventilator since Wednesday morning. "Basu is still critical. The medical board is constantly monitoring his condition. We have observed some positive changes in his health condition since morning," said a medical bulletin from the AMRI Hospital. Basu had breathing trouble since morning. Talking about the positive changes in his condition, a doctor said: "There has been some urine output. The blood pressure is to some extent under control." A team of doctors monitoring the health of the veteran communist will again meet at 1100 hrs IST on Thursday to review his condition, the medical bulletin said. Basu was hospitalised last week after a pneumonia attack and was admitted to the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit of the hospital in Salt Lake, the Kolkata suburb where he lives. Basu was chief minister of West Bengal from June 1977 until November 2000, heading a Left Front government led by his Communist Party of India-Marxist. He stepped down on health grounds. Today evening CPI(M) state secretary Biman Basu, party politburo member and West Bengal commerce and industry minister Nirupam Sen visited Basu at the hospital. CPI general secretary A B Bardhan, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury, will leave for Kolkata from Delhi Thursday morning in view of deteriorating health of Jyoti Basu. CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, has already reach Kolkata. Earlier, former Loksabha Speaker Somanath Chatterjee, TMC leader Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, visited AMRI to enquire about Jyoti Basu’s health. On Wednesday, death rumors flooded Twitter and other websites. Leaders' appealed to the people not to spread the rumors. Jyoti Basu's health condition was wrongly reported dead by several media outlets also. The reports of Jyoti Basu’s death has spread like a viral on the internet and has disheartened many people. Though several websites had earlier declared the report of Jyoti Basu’s death and said that the medical team would confirm his death in the evening, the latest update states that the veteran politician is alive. As per the last updates issued in the evening, Jyoti Basu has shown signs of recovery and so there is no reason to worry about his health. His heart and brain is still reported to be in a strong state. According to the medical reports, the politician has shown some positive changes in his health, even though his condition still remains critical. The next update of his health will be declared tomorrow morning and people expect that his health condition would improve further by then. CPI(M) leaders Mridul De, Dipak Dasgupta, Amitava Basu, Amitava Nandi and Rabin Deb visited the hospital. So did Congress leader and former Kolkata mayor Subrata Mukherjee and Trinamool Congress MP Somen Mitra. "We heard his (Basu) lung condition is poor. But his heart and kidney are functioning well," Mukherjee said.

Prime Minister 'anxious' for Jyoti Basu, offers to fly in docs

KOLKATA, 7th January, 2010(IANS): A "concerned and anxious" Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday visited Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu, who is in a critical condition at AMRI, Saltlake hospital here, and offered to arrange for any medical expert needed to treat the 96 year-old former chief minister. The Prime Minister spent 22 minutes at the hospital in Kolkata's satellite township Salt Lake, where Basu is on ventilator support at the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU) after a pneumonia attack. Basu was admitted on January 1. Manmohan Singh was accompanied by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The Prime Minister saw Basu from outside the ICCU and discussed his condition with doctors. "He told them that if they thought it necessary, he would arrange for any expert doctors from any part of the country," former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee told mediapersons. He said Manmohan Singh also spoke to Basu's son Chandan and extended his best wishes for the ailing leader's speedy recovery. "We are deeply touched by the trouble the prime minister has taken to come and visit our leader," said Chatterjee, an expelled CPI(M) leader. Union Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi said the Prime Minister was "concerned and anxious" about Jyoti Basu's condition. "Jyoti Basu is very precious. The Government of India is ready to do anything that can be done. It is for the asking of the doctors. The doctors have said if they feel the need, they will definitely put in such a request," said Trivedi. Chandan Basu said the doctors told the Prime Minister that the hospital had the best of specialists. "I am also satisfied with the treatment. I don't think there is any need to fly in any doctor." The prime minister had arrived in Kolkata from Delhi in a special aircraft around 12.30 p.m. to visit Basu. After the brief one-and-a-half hour visit to the city, he left from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport for Delhi. Entry was restricted to the hospital ahead of the prime minister's visit and traffic was diverted on nearby roads. Jammers were installed and Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel threw a security cordon around the hospital. The state government deployed a large number of armed policemen, Special Action Force (SAF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel to ensure foolproof security for the prime minister. The doctors too had to undergo security checks before being allowed to enter the hospital on Thursday morning.

Basu’s ventilation support reduced

Kolkata, 7th January, 2010: Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu, hospitalised Jan 1 following a pneumonia attack, did not exhibit any significant improvement Thursday, though his ventilator support was partially reduced, doctors said. A morning medical bulletin issued by the hospital said the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) veteran had fluctuating blood pressure. However, the evening bulletin said the use of blood-pressure stabilising drugs has been reduced. “Today (Thursday) there was no significant improvement in his condition. But one good thing is that his ventilation support has been reduced to partial,” said the bulletin. Basu was put on a ventilator early Wednesday following acute respiratory problems. A steady stream of political luminaries called on Basu Thursday. Governor Devanand Konwar, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, his Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and his party comrades Brinda Karat and Sitaram Yechury were among those who visited the hospital. Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya also visited the ailing leader, who holds the record for the longest stint as chief minister after having being at the helm of affairs in the state for 23 uninterrupted years.

Drug-resistant bacteria hindering Basu's recovery

KOLKATA, 8th January, 2010 : Three highly drug-resistant bacteria are responsible for the pneumonia infection Basu is suffering from, according to a critical care specialist at the AMRI hospital. A bronchoscopy confirmed the presence of acinatobactor, paseudomonas and klebselia bacteria, Sursut Banerjee of the AMRI said. “We have sent the samples to the laboratory for culture sensitivity and a report is expected tomorrow... After receiving the report, we will determine the exact type of anti-biotic to be administered to check the infection,” Banerjee said, adding insertion of Riles, oxygen and oral tubes in the last three or four days might have caused fresh infection. Stating that Basu’s condition was still critical, Banerjee said his blood pressure was 130/70-80. “His urination and heart beat are normal and his brain is responding,” the doctor said. He said the former chief minister was not given sedatives during the day. “He is on partial ventilation,” he said.

Jyoti Basu’s condition worsens

KOLKATA,9th January, 2010: The condition of Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu deteriorated Saturday with the doctors saying the 95-year-old leader has slipped into drowsiness and his internal organs were affected.“There has been deterioration of his general condition,” said a medical bulletin of the AMRI Hospital, where Basu is being kept in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) on partial ventilator support. “He has developed fluid retention, and there has been a drop in urine output. He is also feeling drowsy. This signifies involvement of multiple organs,” the bulletin said. The former West Bengal chief minister was admitted to the hospital near his Salt Lake residence Jan 1 following chest congestion and infection. The Communist Party of India(Marxist) leader was put on ventilator support early Jan 6 after an acute respiratory problem. “He is still on partial ventilation. All adequate measures are being taken by the medical team,” said the bulletin. Hospital executive director D.N. Agarwal, who read out the bulletin, said the board will again examine the critically ill leader in the evening. An attending doctor said Basu has an irregular heartbeat. He was being given liquid food. A bronchoscopy done on Basu has revealed that the pneumonia attack was aggravated by some highly drug-resistant bacteria strains. Doctors were now awaiting the drug sensitivity report of his lung fluid culture test. “Once we receive the report Saturday, we will zero in on a particular antibiotic,” said the doctor. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the hospital Thursday and has been monitoring the health condition of the veteran leader. Following an offer from the prime minister to arrange for specialists, the medical board held a tele-conference with experts from the country’s premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Friday.

Jyoti Basu ’slightly better’, responding to calls
 

KOLKATA, 10th January, 2010: The condition of Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu was a little better Sunday though he is still on partial ventilator support. The 95-year-old leader is responding to calls, doctors attending on him said. In their Sunday morning medical bulletin, doctors at the AMRI hospital said Basu’s general condition was “slightly better compared to yesterday, but still critical” and he continues to be on partial ventilator support. On Saturday, they had described his condition as deteriorating and said he had slipped into a state of drowsiness. He was admitted Jan 1 for pneumonia. Doctors said Sunday Basu’s central nervous system is better than Saturday and he is “responding to calls”. His cardiovascular function is “more or less stable and his urine output has picked up under medication”. There was no necessity of dialysis, it said. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been concerned over the veteran Marxist leader’s health and had visited the city on Thursday to call on him. The doctors of AMRI hospital are in touch with a team of specialists at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi over Basu’s treatment.