Former AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala was on Thursday discharged from Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru and shifted to another hospital. VK Sasikala was taken to the Victoria Hospital on Thursday afternoon by the authorities of the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.
“She has been shifted to Victoria Hospital because the police informed us that it is the designated hospital to treat convicts lodged in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison,” said Dr Manoj Kumar HV, Dean and Director of Bowing and Lady Curzon Hospital. Doctors at Victoria Hospital said that a CT Scan of her chest is being performed. “It is protocol to conduct the CT Scan of patients with SARI. The equipment at Bowring was not functional which is why she was brought to Victoria Hospital, Dr Ramesh Krishna K said.
The close associate of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, fell ill three days ago, whilst she was serving her prison sentence at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. She was shifted to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital on Wednesday after she suffered breathlessness. Doctors at Bowring said that she had a fever and was treated for it at the prison hospital. When she was brought into the hospital on Wednesday, her oxygen levels had dropped to 79%.
She was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit on Thursday, where she was put on oxygen support. Dr Manoj had told TNM earlier on Thursday morning that she was shifted for observation and that her condition is stable. Both her RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen tests turned negative for the novel coronavirus infections. However, the doctors treating her said that she has Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI).
Sasikala is supposed to be released from the Karnataka prison on January 27, a few months before the Tamil Nadu state Assembly elections. The process leading up to her release from jail is being watched by her supporters and adversaries as many expect a shift in the political landscape of Tamil Nadu after her release. TNM had earlier reported that Sasikala is likely to stay with her family in Chennai’s T Nagar area after her release. She had stayed with her niece Krishnapriya even when she had come out on parole earlier.
Watch: VK Sasikala being discharged from Bowring Hospital, taken to Victoria Hospital