The health condition of former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was “very critical” on Wednesday evening, PTI reported. He was admitted to a south Kolkata hospital in the afternoon.
Bhattacharya, 76, was put on mechanical ventilator support at the critical care unit of the hospital after his breathing-related problems aggravated. Oxygen saturation in Bhattacharya’s body declined to 70% and he became unconscious on Wednesday morning, according to PTI. Hospital officials said that tests have shown an accumulation of carbon dioxide and a lower pH level.
He tested negative for coronavirus, but a CT scan has revealed a mild pneumonic patch, according to News18 Bangla.
Bhattacharya, who was the chief minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011, has been suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and other old age-related ailments for some time. He had stepped down from the CPI(M)’s politburo, the central committee as well as the state secretariat in 2018.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the hospital and spoke to doctors, reported PTI. Earlier in the day, she had tweeted expressing concern over Bhattacharya’s health.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who met Bhattacharjee at his home in October, also wished him a speedy recovery, while Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra urged people to cooperate with the hospital authorities.
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