COVID-Positive Milkha Singh’s Health Improving Steadily: Hospital

The renowned athlete is under the observation of a medical team comprising senior doctors of the PGIMER institute.

Veteran Milkha Singh posing with his long litany of accolades in the background. 

Image: PTI

Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh has now spent six days in the PGIMER’s Intensive Care Unit and ‘continuous improvement’ is being recorded in his condition, the hospital statement stated on Tuesday.

"Based on all the medical parameters as of today, there is continuous improvement in the condition of Milkha Singh, who has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit since 3 June and getting treated for COVID-19," said the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) health bulletin.

The renowned athlete is under the observation of a medical team comprising senior doctors of the institute, said PGI spokesperson Ashok Kumar.

Singh was discharged from Mohali's hospital last week but he had to be moved to PGIMER on 3 June after he complained of breathlessness. His wife Nirmal Kaur, 82, is also battling with the coronavirus in Fortis Hospital.

The nimble-footed track and field maestro is a four-time Asian Games Gold medallist and 1958 Commonwealth Games victor but his finest hour was the fourth-place finish in the 400m final at the 1960 Rome Olympics. His lightning-quick timing at the Italian capital held the national record for 38 years. Milkha also represented India in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics and was bestowed the prestigious Padma Shri award in 1959.