Arun Jaitley admitted to AIIMS, is stable, say doctors

Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was admitted to the AIIMS here on Friday (August 9) after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness, and is “haemodynamically stable”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey are at the hospital to enquire about his health condition.

“Arun Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS today morning. He is currently undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit under the supervision of a multidisciplinary team of doctors. At present, he is haemodynamically stable,” an AIIMS statement said.

Jaitley, 66, was admitted at the Cardio-Neuro-Centre of the hospital around 10 am, they said.

“He is in the ICU under observation. A team of doctors including endocrinologists, cardiologists and nephrologists is monitoring his condition,” one of the sources said.

In May this year, Jaitley was admitted to the AIIMS for treatment. A lawyer by profession, he has been the most important leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet during his first tenure and often acted as the chief troubleshooter for the government.

Jaitley did not contest the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 presumably because of his ill health. Jaitley had undergone renal transplant on May 14 last year with Goyal filling in for him at that time too.

Also read: Budget lays down roadmap for high: Jaitley

Jaitley, who had stopped attending office since early April 2018, was back in the finance ministry on August 23, 2018. Earlier in September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to correct the weight he had gained because of a long-standing diabetic condition.