Jharkhand School Education and Literacy Minister Jagarnath Mahto who underwent a lung transplant in Chennai after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 may return home next month, doctors from the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Healthcare in Tamil Nadu said on Monday.
“He is looking good now. We have removed the tracheostomy and he is now breathing through the nose. His lungs are also doing well. He can be discharged anytime but as a precautionary measure we are just waiting. Even if does get discharged from the hospital, we would like for him to stay in Chennai for about a month before he returns home,” said the Co- director of Institute of Heart and Lung Transplantation & Mechanical Circulatory Assist Device at MGM, Dr Suresh Rao.
“He is speaking and walking with little support. To improve his muscle strength he is presently undergoing physiotherapy on a regular basis. He is also eating well,” added Rao.
On January 4, the Minister was seen in a video message talking about his health condition. “I would like to extend New Year greetings to Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the people of Jharkhand. I thank the Chief Minister for his support in my treatment and also the team of doctors at MGM Hospital,” said Mahto in his video message.
Mahto had undergone a lung transplant at the Chennai based facility on November 10 after being kept on a life support system for 22 days.
The 54- year old Minister had tested positive for Covid-19 on September 28 and was admitted to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi. He was later shifted to Bhagwan Mahavir Medica Superspeciality Hospital on October 1 where he was kept in the ICU and put on non- invasive ventilation. He was later flown to Chennai on October 19 after his lungs showed no signs of improvement and was put on life support.