Nepal's prime minister hospitalised for cough, fever

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Oli was hospitalised on Monday after developing a lung infection, according to a media report.

Oli, 66, was admitted to the Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Centre in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu after developing a lung infection, the Kathmandu Post quoted hospital statement as saying.

He had been ill for the past few days due to seasonal flu, the statement added.

Oli was rushed to the hospital on Monday morning after he felt difficulty in breathing, according to Dr Arun Shayami, who is involved in the prime minister's treatment.

"We are treating him for a lung infection. He is being administered antibiotics through the vein," Shayami said, adding that Oli's health condition is improving.

Issuing a statement, the center confirmed that the prime minister was admitted at the hospital at 4:30 am after he showed symptoms of chest infection and imbalance in blood sugar level, the report added.

Oli, who had stayed away from meetings and public programmes for the past few days, briefly attended the Cabinet meeting at his official residence in Baluwater on Sunday.

Doctors had suggested Oli get rest for three days after his health condition deteriorated due to cold and fever.

Oli had spent nearly a year and a half for treatment in New Delhi in 2014, the report said.

The leader of the Communist Party had undergone a successful prostate surgery at the Max Hospital on March 12, 2014, after tests confirmed that a thin mass of tissue had grown under his urinary tract.

In 2007, Oli had undergone a kidney transplant surgery at the Apollo Hospital in New Delhi and has been visiting Bangkok for regular health tests.

Meanwhile, Co-chairman of Nepal Communist Party Pushpa Kamal Dahal, senior leader Jhala Nath Khanal, and Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, among other leaders, visited the hospital to inquire about Oli's health condition and wish for his speedy recovery.

Apart from political leaders, a large crowd of his well-wishers and party cadres have assembled at the hospital on the premises of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.