TN Agriculture Minister R Doraikannu critical after testing positive for coronavirus

The 72-year-old is on ECMO and on a ventilator, stated a health bulletin from the Chennai hospital.
TN Agriculture Minister R Doraikannu critical after testing positive for coronavirus
TN Agriculture Minister R Doraikannu critical after testing positive for coronavirus

Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister R Doraikannu is in a critical condition after having contracted COVID-19. The minister has been admitted to the Kauvery hospital in Chennai after having experienced severe breathlessness on October 13.

According to a medical bulletin from the private hospital issued on Sunday, the 72-year-old minister tested positive for COVID-19 after being admitted. The hospital writes that he has multiple comorbidities and that the latest CT scan shows 90% lung involvement. He is currently on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a treatment that uses a pump to circulate blood through an artificial lung back into the bloodstream and on a ventilator.

"The honourable Chief Minister Thiru Edappadi K Palaniswami visited today to enquire about his health condition and personally interacted with family members. He was accompanied by Honourable Minister for Fisheries, Thiru D Jayakumar and Honourable Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr C Vijayabaskar," stated Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, the Executive Director of Kauvery Hospital in Chennai.

According to The Hindu, the minister was first admitted to the Villupuram Government Medical College and Hospital (VGMCH) in Mundiyampakkam after he complained of chest pain. He had been on the way to Salem to pay homage to the Chief Minister's mother who had passed away this month. He was initially suspected to have a cardiac problem.

The DMK lost a senior leader J Anbazhagan to the virus in June this year. He became the first lawmaker to die of the virus in India. In August, Congress MP H Vasanthakumar succumbed to COVID-19 after a three-week battle against the disease.

Last month, playback singer and actor SP Balasubhramanyam passed away in Chennai after prolonged treatment for COVID-19. The singer had been admitted with minimal symptoms but was soon on the ventilator and given ECMO treatment. Despite recovering from the virus however, SPB succumbed to the damage it had already caused on his system. He died due to cardio respiratory issues.

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