Former chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, was discharged from a hospital on Wednesday after 11 days of treatment. The 79-year-old was admitted to a private hospital on July 29 with lower respiratory tract infection and 'Type 2' respiratory failure.
After his discharge, he was taken to his Palm Avenue residence in an ambulance with BIPAP facilities and necessary support he required at the moment, a senior doctor said. Bhattacharya will, however, be on medical support at home under the supervision of a team of doctors from the hospital.
"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 said. Bhattacharya, who has been suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and other age-related ailments, was rushed to the hospital on July 29.
The Left leader took over as the chief minister of West Bengal in 2000 from party senior Jyoti Basu. He remained in the post till 2011, handling a tenure marked by agitations over the acquisition of land for industries led by present Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Bhattacharya lost the 2011 assembly election to Banerjee's TMC and the CPI(M)-led Left Front's 34-year-long rule in the state came to an end that year. Over the last few years, he has stayed away from the public glare due to his deteriorating health and remained confined to his two-room government apartment.
Bhattacharya stepped down from the CPI(M) politburo and central committee in 2015 and gave up membership of the party's state secretariat in 2018. He was last seen in public when he surprised party workers by arriving unannounced at the Left's rally at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with oxygen support.
