PM may not be discharged today

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may not be discharged on Saturday from AIIMS, where he is recuperating after a coronary by-pass surgery, as doctors attending on him want to monitor him further.

"We may not discharge him (the Prime Minister) today as we want to monitor his condition further," Dr Vijay D'Silva, who is one of the doctors attending on him, said.

He said the Prime Minister's condition was stable and he followed his morning routine of exercises, reading newspapers followed by breakfast. He also took a walk outside his room in the hospital.

Dr D'Silva of Mumbai-based Asian Heart Institute had yesterday said that the Prime Minister would be discharged today if "everything goes right till that time or we might consider to extend it (his stay) to Sunday."

He said a decision to extend the 76-year-old leader's stay in the hospital would be taken by the team of doctors led by his personal physician Dr KS Reddy and AHI surgeon Dr Ramakant Panda.

The Prime Minister underwent a complex coronary 're-do' bypass surgery at AIIMS on January 24 and was moved out of the ICU January 28 and all his monitoring devices have been removed.

The Prime Minister's Office in a statement yesterday said that Singh is convalescing very well at AIIMS and he has increased his levels of physical activity and his dietary intake as well.

Ahead of his discharge, doctors are in the process of installing all the required machines at his official residence to monitor his condition.

Cardiac rehabilitation specialist Dr Ashish Contractor from ASI and Dr D'Silva besides three nurses from the AHI will monitor the Prime Minister's condition at his residence after he is discharged from AIIMS.

While Dr D'Silva will take care of the Prime Minister for a few days, Dr Contractor will stay back for a week and the nurses for about three weeks to monitor the Prime Minister's health.

The nurses will report to the doctors at the ASI.