Vilasrao Deshmukh showing signs of improvement

On Tuesday evening, 24 hours after he was flown to Chennai, Vilasrao Deshmukh is showing signs of improvement. "His condition is stable. But he will remain hospitalised for two more days," said an official of Global Health City, where Deshmukh is admitted.

CM Prithviraj Chavan said, "I had decided to leave for Chennai But, I spoke to Amit (Deshmukh's eldest son) and he said nobody is allowed to meet him. Amit also said he is responding to the treatment."

There was, however, no official confirmation or medical bulletin verifying this. The Deshmukh family has refused to issue a health bulletin. "Family members have asked us not to divulge any information to the media," said a hospital source.

The former Maharashtra CM is in the ICU, where he is being treated for liver ailment under the care of Dr Mohammed Rela. Earlier in the day he was said to be critical. Initially, doctors were planning a liver transplant, but till late Tuesday evening, neither the hospital nor the government had contacted the Tamil Nadu Organ Sharing Network. According to sources, efforts to find a perfect match can begin only after the patient's family registers a request. Last week, Deskhmukh had been admitted to the Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai.

A Mumbai doc, on condition of anonymity said that Vilasrao's liver ailment was detected over a year ago during a routine check-up. A week ago, Deshmukh was admitted to the Breach Candy hospital. It was found that he was suffering from cirrhosis of liver and also that both his kidneys were completely non-functional. "At Breach Candy, he was on dialysis for three days. There was no improvement in his condition and ultimately he was put on life support system," the Mumbai doctor said.

On Monday, as his condition deteriorated, Deshmukh was shifted to Chennai in an air-ambulance. "We are planning a liver transplant after stabilizing his vital parameters," the doctor attending to him at Chennia's Global Hospital said. The 67-year-old former Maharashtra chief minister was flown to Chennai for treatment under the care of noted liver transplant surgeon Dr Mohammed Rela. "He is now on a ventilator. His kidneys are failing. We are evaluating him to see if he is fit enough for a transplant," said a doctor requesting anonymity.

Apparently, his son, actor Riteish Deshmukh has expressed willingness to donate a part of his liver to his ailing father. For this, doctors will have to certify that the tissues match. According to transplant rules, the surgery will have to be cleared by an authorization committee headed by the Tamil Nadu director of medical education. "We have not ruled out a cadaver transplant either. We will put him on the wait-list. But that is only after he stabilises," said another doctor.

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