Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, the former chief minister of West Bengal, was released from a hospital on Wednesday after 11 days of treatment, news agency PTI reported. On July 29, the 79-year-old man was brought to a private hospital with a lower respiratory tract infection and 'Type 2' respiratory failure.
According to a doctor, after his discharge, he was carried to his Palm Avenue apartment in an ambulance with BIPAP devices and the essential assistance he required at the time. Bhattacharya, on the other hand, would be on medical assistance at home under the care of a hospital team of physicians. "His medical condition is fine. However, he will be on BIPAP and other necessary oxygen support at home. Our team of doctors will keep on monitoring his condition for some time," the doctor was quoted by PTI in its report.
"Former CM of West Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was discharged from the Woodlands Hospital today, on the 12th day of admission. Woodlands homecare team will continue to monitor him closely for at least 1 month. Our nurses will be there 24/7 at his home and our doctors and physiotherapists will be visiting daily," Dr Rupali Basu, Managing Director & CEO, Woodlands Hospital said, ANI reported.
Bhattacharya was transported to the hospital on July 29 after suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive lung disease) and other age-related diseases.
In 2000, the Left politician succeeded party senior Jyoti Basu as West Bengal's chief minister. He held the position till 2011, during a period highlighted by agitations against land acquisition for industries headed by current Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Bhattacharya lost the 2011 assembly election to Banerjee's TMC, ending the CPI(M)-led Left Front's 34-year hegemony in the state. Due to his worsening health, he has been restricted to his two-room government flat in recent years, keeping him out of the public eye.
Bhattacharya resigned from the CPI(M) politburo and central committee in 2015, and from the party's state secretariat in 2018. He was last seen in public when he arrived unexpectedly with oxygen assistance at the Left's rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.