Two Month Long Ordeal: A Timeline of J Jayalalithaa’s Illness

Here’s a timeline of Jayalalithaa’s illness after she was hospitalised on 22 September.

J Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. (Photo: Reuters)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK President J Jayalalithaa suffered a cardiac arrest at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai on 4 December. She was hospitalised with fever on 22 September. Here’s a timeline of her health updates since then.

22 September: Jayalalithaa is admitted to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai with fever and dehydration. The hospital says in a statement that she is stable and under observation.

25 September: Apollo Hospitals rubbishes rumours on social media that the CM will be taken abroad for treatment and adds that she will be discharged from the hospital in a few days.

27 September: The CM resumes her official duties from the hospital. AIADMK tweets that she convened a meeting between 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm at Apollo Hospitals on the interim directions issued by the Supreme Court on Cauvery river water issue with Karnataka.

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29 September: Apollo Hospitals' statement says Jayalalithaa is responding well to treatment, but has been advised to stay a few more days in the hospital.

30 September: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president Karunanidhi demands that the state government put an end to all the rumours around Jayalalithaa's health through a clear official statement along with her photographs.

1 October: AIADMK says that Jayalalithaa is recovering well and could be discharged soon, but refuses to release her photographs. Dr Richard John Beale, a specialist, is flown in from England.

Also Read: Jayalalithaa: All TN Policemen To Be On Duty By 7 AM On Monday

2 October: Apollo Hospitals says Jayalalithaa will continue with the present medication to treat the infection. They also say that she is responding well to treatment but has been advised to stay in the hospital for a few more days.

6 October: Doctors say Jayalalithaa needs "a longer stay in hospital" and is "making gradual progress”.

8 October: The hospital announces that Jayalalithaa is undergoing lung decongestion, as well as other “comprehensive measures” and will be under constant monitoring.

9 October: DMK treasurer and leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly MK Stalin visits Apollo Hospital and speaks to doctors about Jayalalithaa’s health. Apart from wishing her a speedy recovery, he also urges AIADMK to bring in an interim CM till she recovers.

12 October : Doctors signal that CM Jayalalithaa is not yet fit to resume her duties. O Paneerselvam is assigned charge of eight departments.

Also Read: Everyone in Tamil Nadu Has ‘Inside Info’ On Jayalalithaa’s Health

13 October: AIADMK launches an online campaign to put a full stop to false rumours about her health, declaring that all is well with Amma, as she is commonly referred to by her followers and fans.

17 October: After more than a week with no updates, police officials say that individuals spreading unnecessary rumours on her health will be arrested.

20 October: AIADMK says that the party supremo is completely well and will return home soon.

Also Read: Secretive Amma, Sociable Sushma: The Case of Two Ailing Leaders

22 October: Update from the hospital says she is largely conscious and is able to sit up in her hospital bed. The hospital also says that she is “interacting and progressing gradually".

26 October: AIADMK says J Jayalalithaa is "very well" and will return home soon. Party workers continue to hold different forms of prayers for her speedy recovery.

29 October: Doctors say Jayalalithaa's right hand is inflamed. She signs election affidavits with a thumb print and not a signature.

3 November: Jayalalithaa has “progressed well”, says her party AIADMK.

4 November: Jayalalithaa’s health is reported to be under control and a senior AIADMK leader says she will soon be moved out of the Critical Care Unit (CCU) to a private room.

12 November: Jayalalithaa's lung infection is now fully under control and she can leave whenever she feels fit, the chairman of Apollo Hospitals says.

16 November: In her first statement since she was hospitalised in September, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa says, "I have taken rebirth because of people's prayers."

18 November: Jayalalithaa is “breathing beautifully without ventilator”, says Apollo Hospital.

25 November: Jayalalithaa speaks her first words after being hospitalised using microphone.

4 December: It is reported that Jayalalithaa will return home "soon" as an AIIMS expert team confirms that she has completely recovered.

4 December: Jayalalithaa has a cardiac arrest.

4 December: Jayalalithaa is being treated with ECMO or Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation, as reported by The News Minute. This is a process in which the functions of the heart and lungs are carried out outside the body.

5 December: Union Health Minister JP Nadda says the chief minister is out of danger and her health is being constantly monitored by a team of doctors.

5 December: AIADMK spokesperson Saraswathi tells reporters that Jayalalithaa had an angioplasty in the wee hours of the morning and is stable now. However, The News Minute reports that according to sources in the Chief Minister’s Office, no angiogram or angioplasty was performed on her.

(Source: The Indian Express, NDTV)