Jogi's neurological activity is "almost nil" and he is on ventilator support at the Shree Narayana Hospital, a senior doctor attending him wa quoted a saying by news agency PTI. In the next 48 hours, it will be assessed how Jogi's body is responding to medicines, the official said, adding that the leader is being treated by a team of eight specialist doctors.
"His heart functioning is normal at the moment. The blood pressure has been controlled by drugs. But there was disruption in oxygen supply to his brain after the respiratory arrest yesterday, that possibly led to damage to his brain. In medical parlance it is called hypoxia," the hospital's medical director Dr Sunil Khemka said in a bulletin.
"As of now, Jogi's neurological activity is almost nil. In simple words, we can say he has slipped into coma. He is on ventilator. We are making all efforts to improve his health, but the situation is worrisome at present," he said.
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A bureaucrat-turned politician, Ajit Jogi had served as the first CM of Chhattisgarh from November 2000 to November 2003 in then Congress government, after the state came into existence.
Jogi worked briefly as a lecturer before getting selected for Indian Administrative Services (IAS). In 2007 Jogi and his son were also arrested for the murder of NCP treasurer Ram Avtar Jaggi, Ramavtar Jaggi. But the case was dropped in 2008. Jogi parted ways with the Congress in 2016 after he and his son got embroiled in a controversy over a by-election. Later, he quit the Congress and formed Janata Congress Chhattisgarh. In 2018, he announced that he will contest the election from Rajnandgaon.
(inputs from agencies)