Ex-Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya remains critical but stable

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, 79, is on mechanical ventilation, Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital informed in its latest health bulletin on Sunday. "His overall clinical status remains critical but stable," the hospital said. The former chief minister was admitted
to the hospital on Saturday with a lower respiratory tract infection and Type II respiratory failure.

A multidisciplinary medical team comprising Dr Kaushik Chakraborty (medicine), Dr Soutik Panda (critical care), Dr Susmita Debnath (critical care), and other doctors is closely monitoring his progress.

Bhattacharya, who was the chief minister from 2000 to 2011, has been suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and other old age-related ailments for quite some time. "His condition is critical. We are examining him. His oxygen saturation deteriorated to 70 per cent in the afternoon and he became unconscious, following which he was rushed to the hospital," the official told PTI on Saturday.