‘Stable’ Lalu moved to Delhi hosp in air ambulance

Ranchi: Incarcerated RJD president Lalu Prasad was shifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, in an air ambulance on Saturday evening on the recommendation of an eight-member medical board comprising doctors of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims), where he was undergoing treatment while serving prison terms in various fodder scam cases.
Accompanied by daughter Misa Bharti accompanied, Lalu was wheeled out of the Rims paying ward at about 5:15pm and taken to the Birsa Munda International Airport in an ambulance. Lalu’s wife and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi and younger son and the leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, were also on the flight air ambulance that took him to the national capital.
Inspector general (prisons) Birendra Bhushan said he granted permission to shift Lalu on the basis of the medical board’s recommendation. He said, “The permission is valid for a month and can be extended on the recommendation of the doctors at AIIMS, where he will be treated there under police protection.”
Earlier, the Rims medical board took a unanimous decision to refer Lalu to AIIMS. Dr Umesh Prasad, who was part of the board, said, “We referred Lalu Prasad to AIIMS for better treatment. His lung infection is a new problem, but he is stable. We have requested that due to his acute heart problem, Lalu should be first admitted in the cardiac department while other departments may also be involved. The final decision in this regard would be taken by the AIIMS management.”
According to a medical bulletin released by Rims on Saturday, Lalu's test reports were normal except for the blood parameters, which showed some infection.
Talking to TOI, Rims medical superintendent Dr Vivek Kashyap said: “Lalu took several tests, including electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, HRCT and ultrasonography, on Thursday and the reports are normal and he is stable. He was also tested for Covid-19 and the results are negative. A few blood parameters have indicated another infection and he has developed mild pneumonia. Considering the current medical situation, he has been referred to AIIMS.”
During the day, Lalu’s family members chose to stay away from the media. Soon after their arrival on Friday, Tejashwi had, however, said his father’s was in bad shape and a decision would be taken based on the recommendation of the doctors. Notably, Tejashwi and his elder brother Tej Pratap had met chief minister Hemant Soren at his residence. Rabri and Misa, however, remained with Lalu throughout the day.
Security personnel had a difficult time handling the crowd which had gathered in front of the paying ward to have a glimpse of Lalu. Tejashwi and former MLA Bhola Yadav were seen pleading with the people with folded hands to allow the process to be conducted smoothly. Former Bihar minister Kanti Devi who was present in front of the paying ward, said, “We are all praying for his early recovery. He is our godfather. People of Bihar have high hopes on him and they are all very concerned at present.”
Lalu was convicted in a fodder scam case in December 2017 and was lodged at the Birsa Munda central jail in Ranchi. He spent just about two months in prison before he was shifted to Rims due to his deteriorating health condition. He was referred to AIIMS for some months before being sent back to the city hospital in May 2018. He remained in the hospital’s paying ward until August 2020, when he was shifted to the posh Kelly’s Bungalow to protect him from the Covid infection. He was moved back to Rims last month after he was accused of violating jail norms and meeting unauthorized visitors in the run-up to the Bihar polls.