SPB responding to treatment and is 90% out of sedation: SP Charan

Veteran singer SP Balasubrahmanyam (SPB) is responding well to treatment and is almost out of sedation, said SP Charan, his son. Speaking in a video uploaded on his official Facebook page, SP Charan said that he and his family are grateful to the voices of support that have come their way. SPB however continues to be on ventilator.

“I am also thankful to MGM Health(care) centre and the doctors who have been diligently working with my father and make sure that he is going to recover from this illness,” he said. Calling Tuesday a good day for everyone following him for updates on SPB’s health, SP Charan said, “..everything seems normal. Dad is responding and is 90% out of sedation. He is responding to the doctors and the treatment.” 

Addressing the requests from SPB’s fans to put up updates in Tamil in addition to the English videos, Charan said that the 74-year-old singer has a wide fan base across regional languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada etc and it would be time consuming for him to work on giving updates in all these languages. “I am in between prayers, talking to doctors and putting up updates to all his fans,” he said, adding that those who know English can explain the update to those who do not understand English. 

SPB was admitted to MGM Healthcare hospitals in Chennai on August 5 after he complained of chest congestion. An RT-PCR test for COVID-19 was taken, which returned positive and he has been in the hospital since then. On August 14, the hospital issued a bulletin stating that SPB’s health was in critical condition and that he was on ventilator support. He was also placed on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), a process which purifies the blood outside of the human body, thus providing rest to the patient’s lungs. 

Since then, the hospital and SP Charan have been providing regular updates to the singer’s fans. A few days ago, the hospital informed that the singer was stable but still on ventilator support and ECMO. It also said that a multidisciplinary team of clinicians are working on SPB’s treatment and his vitals are being constantly monitored. Thousands of fans across the country, including his contemporaries in the film and music industry, have been conducting prayers for his speedy recovery over the past 10 days. 

Watch the update here: