Days after he was admitted to hospital for severe breathlessness, Tamil Nadu Minister for Agriculture R Doraikkannu’s condition is said to be extremely critical. He was admitted to Chennai’s Kauvery Hospital on October 13 after experiencing breathlessness and later tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
In a bulletin issued by the hospital at 1.15 pm on Saturday, the hospital said that the minister’s health has worsened significantly. “The Honourable Minister for Agriculture, Thiru R Doraikkannu, has suffered a significant deterioration in vital functions. He is extremely critical despite being on maximal life support,” the bulletin, signed by Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, the hospital’s Executive Director, said.
On October 25, the hospital had stated that the minister had multiple comorbidities and the CT scan taken at that time showed 90% involvement of the lungs. He was also on Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), an external mechanism to oxygenate blood and send it back into the human body’s circulatory system.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, state minister of fisheries D Jayakumar and state minister for health and family welfare C Vijayabaskar visited the hospital on October 25 to inquire about Doraikkannu’s health.
As per news reports, Doraikkannu was first admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Villupuram after he complained of chest pain. At the time, he was on his way to visit the Chief Minister in Salem to condole the death of Edappadi Palaniswami’s mother.
J Anbazhagan, senior DMK leader and MLA from Chennai’s Chepauk passed away in June after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was the first lawmaker in the country to succumb to the virus. In August, Congress MP and entrepreneur H Vasanthakumar also died by COVID-19. He was admitted to the hospital for three weeks before he passed away. In September, veteran singer SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away after battling health complications that arose due to COVID-19. He was confirmed of having the disease on August 5 and was admitted to a private hospital in the city since then. Though he was tested negative for COVID-19, his health deteriorated due to the impact the virus had on his body.