Indian politician Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was rushed to a hospital in Chennai on Monday, is conscious but in a critical condition, doctors said.
Deskhmukh, who is the Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences, was admitted to Chennai's Global Hospital on Monday for liver cancer.
According to reports, the minister is put on life-support system in the intensive care unit of Global hospitals in Chennai. "He is still critical and continues to be under observation", an official at the Global Hospital told reporters.
"Deshmukh's condition continues to be critical like it was yesterday (Tuesday). While his family has refused permission to us to issue a medical bulletin, they have said that the health condition would be announced through social media in due course of time," the official told news agency IANS on condition of anonymity.
Doctors at the hospital are treating Deshmukh for hepatocellular carcinoma, a most common type of liver cancer. The 67-year-old was diagnosed for the condition over a year ago.
He was previously admitted for a week in Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with kidney failure along with liver cancer. On Aug 6, he was flown to Chennai by an air ambulance for a liver transplantation.
Initially, doctors hoped to persuade Deshmukh's blood relatives to become a donor for the transplant. After examining their patient, doctors found out that along with kidney and liver failure, the minister is also suffering from a severe bacterial blood infection.
Doctors later said that a transplant was not the immediate option and will wait until his condition begins to stabilise, The Times of India reported. "He is on ventilator and has been given dialysis. His condition remains the same since the time he was admitted to the hospital," a doctor said.
A team of several specialists including liver transplant surgeon Dr Mohamed Rela, are currently treating the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra at the Global hospital.
Following the news of his illness, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar left for Chennai on Wednesday after a state cabinet meeting to meet Deshmukh, news agency Press Trust of India said.
Meanwhile, overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi on Tuesday was given additional charge of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry, held by Deshmukh in addition to his Science and Technology portfolio.
