PM will be able to attend to work soon: AIIMS docs

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was on Sunday taken off the ventilator as his health showed steady improvement, a day after he underwent a successful 11-hour bypass surgery, hospital authorities and his aides said.

"The Prime Minister is doing well. His condition is stable and improving. Doctors are happy with the progress," media adviser to the Prime Minister's Office Deepak Sandhu said.

Once he came off the ventilator, Manmohan Singh, 76, spoke with his family members.

"He will be in ICU for the next 46-48 hours after which he will be taken off the intensive monitoring," Medical Superintendent of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) DK Sharma said. "The PM is stable. His doctors are more than happy with his recovery."

However, the team led by Dr Ramakant Panda has not decided on a discharge date yet. But the PM will have to stay in hospital for five days, they added.

The Prime Minister's youngest daughter, Amrit Singh, has arrived from the US. "All his three daughters are here now," Sandhu said. "The entire family is rooting for his health."

Manmohan Singh underwent five bypass surgeries on Saturday at AIIMS. It was his second bypass surgery in 18 years.

The Saturday surgery lasted from 0845 hours IST to 1933 hours IST. Manmohan Singh was then wheeled into the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU), where he is still warded.

Doctors said Manmohan Singh, a diabetic, is now in post-operative care.

He had undergone a bypass surgery in 1990 in Britain and an angioplasty in 2004.

An 11-member team including surgeons and physicians performed the complicated surgery on Saturday that sought to tackle blocked heart arteries. This was done under the overall guidance of head of the AIIMS Cardio Vascular Sampath Kumar and Thoracic Centre. Vice chairman of the Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai Ramakant Panda was the main surgeon.

PAGE_BREAK

”The Prime Minister should be able to resume some official duties in two weeks, most in four weeks and be fully active and functional in six weeks or even before,” Panda said.

This will also be the first time that a Prime Minister will skip the January 26 Republic Day celebrations. Defence Minister AK Antony will stand in for Manmohan Singh for the ceremonies.

World leaders wish PM swift recovery

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and British Premier Gordon Brown joined a large number of world leaders in wishing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a speedy recovery.

Singh, who is recuperating in AIIMS after a successful coronary bypass surgery, received a bouquet and good wishes from Zardari and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani who wished him a "quick recovery".

Brown sent a message to Singh wishing him swift recovery and good health, Sandhu said in a statement.

Bhutanese king Jigme Khesar, in a message, said the Central Monk Body was holding special prayers in monasteries throughout Bhutan for Singh's early recovery.

He hoped the Indian Prime Minister would soon be able to resume his duties.

Bhutan's Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley also extended good wishes of the people of his country and his government to Singh for his good health.