Advani, Naqvi, among others visit AIIMS to enquire about Arun Jaitley's health

Veteran BJP leader L K Advani and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Monday visited AIIMS to enquire about health of former finance minister Arun Jaitley who continues to be on life support. Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and BJP national general-secretary Arun Singh also visited the hospital to know about his wellbeing. Jaitley, 66, was admitted to the hospital following complaints of breathlessness and restlessness on August 9. Since then, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has not issued any bulletin on Jaitley's health.

Prominent leaders who visisted AIIMS in the past few days include President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Harsh Vardhan, BSP chief Mayawati and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal among others. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi are also scheduled to visit AIIMS on Monday.

According to sources, he is on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support. A multidisciplinary team of doctors is consistently monitoring his condition.

Jaitley, a lawyer by profession, had been an important part in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet in the BJP government’s first term. He held the finance and defence portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government.

Jaitley did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election presumably because of his ill-health.

He had undergone a renal transplant on May 14 last year at AIIMS with Railways Minister Piyush Goyal filling in for him in the finance ministry at that time.

Jaitley, who had stopped attending office since early April last year, was back in the finance ministry on August 23, 2018.

In September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to correct the weight he had gained because of a long-standing diabetic condition.