Vajpayee critical, remains on life support

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee remained "critical and on life support" at the AIIMS here on Thursday, a hospital statement said.

There was no improvement in his condition since Wednesday evening since his health deteriorated.

"Vajpayee's condition continues to be the same. He is critical and on life support," said the statement from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

A host of leaders, including Bharatiya Janata Party veteran and former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and Congress President Rahul Gandhi, visited the hospital on Thursday morning to inquire about the health of the 93-year-old leader.

The others who visited the hospital also included Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan and BJP President Amit Shah.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the AIIMS on Wednesday night to take stock of the situation and enquire about Vajpayee's condition.

Vajpayee, a diabetic patient, is undergoing treatment at AIIMS since June 11. He was admitted to the hospital for what doctors described as a routine check-up.

The 1924-born leader is under the supervision of Randeep Guleria, a pulmonologist and currently the Director of AIIMS.

Guleria has served as personal physician to the three-time Prime Minister for over three decades.

The former Prime Minister, whose birthday on December 25 is celebrated as Good Governance Day, was honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 2014 at his home.

--IANS

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