Former finance minister Arun Jaitley’s health deteriorates, say AIIMS sources

The health of former finance minister Arun Jaitley, who is admitted to AIIMS, deteriorated on Friday, hospital sources said. A multidisciplinary team of doctors is monitoring his condition. Jaitley, 66, was rushed to All India Institute of Medical Sciences on August 9 after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness. AIIMS has not issued any bulletin on Jaitley’s health since August 10.

Hospital sources on Tuesday said he is on life support.

On Monday BJP veteran LK Advani, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, UP Governor Anandiben Patel and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Delhi LG Anil Baijal and party MP Maneka Gandhi among others visited the hospital to know about his wellbeing. The Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, P K Mishra, and Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha also visited the hospital on Monday evening.

Other prominent leaders who paid visit to Jaitley, include President Ram Nath Kovind, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Harsh Vardhan, Smriti Irani, Jitendra Singh and Ram Vilas Paswan, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Congress' Abhishek Singhvi and Jyotiraditya Scindia, BSP supremo Mayawati and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

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

In May this year, Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS for treatment.

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.