Kolkata, Jan 9 (IANS) The condition of Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu deteriorated Saturday with the doctors saying the 95-year-old leader has slipped into drowsiness and his internal organs were affected.
“There has been deterioration of his general condition,” said a medical bulletin of the AMRI Hospital, where Basu is being kept in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) on partial ventilator support.

“He has developed fluid retention, and there has been a drop in urine output. He is also feeling drowsy. This signifies involvement of multiple organs,” the bulletin said.

The former West Bengal chief minister was admitted to the hospital near his Salt Lake residence Jan 1 following chest congestion and infection. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader was put on ventilator support early Jan 6 after an acute respiratory problem.

“He is still on partial ventilation. All adequate measures are being taken by the medical team,” said the bulletin.

Hospital executive director D.N. Agarwal, who read out the bulletin, said the board will again examine the critically ill leader in the evening.

An attending doctor said Basu has an irregular heartbeat. He was being given liquid food.

A bronchoscopy done on Basu has revealed that the pneumonia attack was aggravated by some highly drug-resistant bacteria strains.

Doctors were now awaiting the drug sensitivity report of his lung fluid culture test. “Once we receive the report Saturday, we will zero in on a particular antibiotic,” said the doctor.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the hospital Thursday and has been monitoring the health condition of the veteran leader.

Following an offer from the prime minister to arrange for specialists, the medical board held a tele-conference with experts from the country’s premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Friday.

Basu holds the record for the longest 23-year old stint as chief minister from June 1977 to November 2000. He stepped down voluntarily on health grounds.