Former finance minister Arun Jaitley in critical condition at AIIMS

NEW DELHI: Former finance minister and veteran BJP leader Arun Jaitley remained in a critical condition and was put on life support by Friday afternoon. He was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on August 9. 

President Ram Nath Kovind, health minister Harsh Vardhan and minister of state for health Ashwini Kumar Choubey visited Jaitley at AIIMS on Friday morning.

Jaitley was admitted in the country’s premier medical institution on August 9 morning and was put on ventilator late in the night. He has since been undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU). According to a release by media and protocol division of AIIMS on the same day, the former minister is under the supervision of a team comprising multidisciplinary doctors, “At present he is haemodynamically stable”. The hospital has not issued any medical bulletin after August 9 on Jaitley's health. 

The 66-year-old leader, who held important portfolios during the first tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, has not been keeping well for some time. He did not even contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election citing health reasons. In February, Piyush Goyal had to present the interim budget as Jaitley was in the US for treatment.

After Modi government retained power after the Lok Sabha elections, Jaitley wrote to Prime Minister Modi, saying he would not take up any responsibility/portfolio in the government due to his deteriorating health condition.