Thaindian News

By Syed Zarir Hussain
Mumbai, Aug 3 (IANS) A 20-member team of doctors will perform two heart surgeries on Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at the Asian Heart Institute here Wednesday.

“The surgeries are complex, but not complicated and we expect the chief minister to be fully fit and back to normal work in about four weeks,” Dr Ramakant Panda, renowned cardiac surgeon and managing director of the Asian Heart Institute, told IANS.

The chief minister would require two surgeries - a bypass surgery and another surgery to replace an aortic valve with 70 to 80 percent blocks in two blood vessels.

“We would be taking about six to eight hours for the surgeries and then he would be in the hospital for about three weeks before we allow him to go back to Guwahati and resume his normal work,” Panda said.

The chief minister complained of breathing problems and a rise in blood pressure July 24 while attending the meeting of the National Development Council in New Delhi chaired by prime minister Manmohan Singh.

He was then admitted to the Max Hospital in New Delhi and later shifted to the Asian Heart Institute.

“I would like to thank all the people of Assam for their support and wishes for my speedy recovery,” the chief minister said.

The cardiac surgeon said the chief minister’s health parameters were normal and there should be no problems during the surgeries.

“All his health parameters are absolutely fine and, more than that, his self confidence is pretty high and hence we are happy about it,” said Panda, who also led the team of doctors that carried out a bypass surgery on Manmohan Singh last year.

“I love taking up challenges and risks,” Panda said.

He and his team are credited with performing about 12,000 heart surgeries, including hundreds of cases which most other doctors declared inoperable.