Indian PM Undergoes surgery successfully

Children Praying for PM's health

 NEW DELHI: A team of doctors led by surgeon Ramakant Panda and assisted by AIIMS doctors on Saturday successfully performed a redo (repeat) bypass operation on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He is 76 years old and is also projected as PM candidate for the upcoming election.

“Five bypasses were conducted on Prime Minister. The diagnostic angiography was done by Dr V K Behl on Jan 21. His condition is stable and he is responding,” surgeon Ramakant Panda told media in a briefing.

Dr Panda, who led the team of doctors who performed the surgery, said, “Manmohan Singh had undergone a bypass surgery 19 years back. The surgery will provide a long term solution and went in his favour as he’s diabetic.”

“PM was taken to Operation Theatre at 6.40am; surgery started at 8.45am and got over at 7.30pm. At 8.55pm, he was shifted to ICU,” Dr Panda said.

“The team decided to go for bypass as there were multiple blockages included arteries which stented in 2004.”

Asked what Singh had said before the 14-hour long operation, Sampath Kumar, head of the department, cardiac surgery, told reporters that before he was given anaesthesia, the 76-year-old Prime Minister said “I am ready”.

Singh was calm and composed and fully conscious of the expertise of the surgical team, S Reddy, another cardiac surgeon who was part of the doctors’ team, said.

Earlier, doctors briefed the family members of the Prime Minister on his health.

In a short brief, PMO earlier told media, “Operation is successful. PM was shifted to ICU at 8.55pm.”

Earlier in the evening, Pranab Mukherjee said, “Doctors are confident that Prime Minister is recovering well after surgery.”

Congress spokesman Veerappa Moily told reporters, “We are extremely thankful to the doctors who performed the bypass surgery upon the Prime Minister. The whole nation is praying for him.”