Atal Bihari Vajpayee's condition worsens, PM Modi visits him at AIIMS

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s condition has worsened over last 24 hours, the AIIMS said today. 

Vajpayee, who has been admitted at AIIMS for the last nine weeks, has been put on life support system, the hospital said in a statement. 

Earlier in evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the AIIMS to enquire about the condition of the former prime minister.

PM Modi had reached the hospital at around 7.15 pm and spent about 50 minutes there. After the Prime Minister, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi also paid a visit.

Earlier in the day, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani had also visited the hospital to check on Vajpayee.

Vajpayee was admitted at the AIIMS on June 11 with a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion.

The 93-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party patriarch, a diabetic, has only one functional kidney.

On June 13, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria had said that the former PM was responding well to the treatment. "He has shown significant improvement in the last 48 hours. His kidney function is normal and his urine output is nearly normal now. "The infection is under control and the blood pressure, respiratory function and hearty rate are normal. We are hopeful of his full recovery in the next few days," Guleria had told the reporters at that time.

He had suffered a stroke in 2009 that weakened his cognitive abilities. Subsequently, he developed dementia. 

The BJP stalwart was the prime minister between 1998 and 2004. As his health deteriorated, he slowly withdrew from public life and has been confined to his residence for many years.

(With agency inputs)