Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa dies after 75 days of hospitalisation

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa passed away on Monday night after a 75-day battle for life at the Apollo Hospital here, bringing to an end an eventful journey of the film star-turned-politician who straddled public life in the southern state for over three decades.

Jayalalithaa, 68, who was admitted to Apollo Hospital on September 22 with complaints of fever and dehydration, soon developed complications after she suffered chest congestion, lung infection and heart malfunction.

There was hectic activity inside and outside the Apollo hospital premises for over an hour before the convoy carrying the late chief minister’s mortal remains rolled out well past midnight.

Most of the senior doctors left the building as also did Jayalalithaa’s adviser Sheela Balakrishnan, who had camped in an adjacent room right through the late CM’s hospitalisation at the Apollo Hospital. There was heavy police deployment around the hospital and elsewhere in the city before her death was announced.

In a detailed statement just after midnight, Apollo Hospital explained the entire sequence from Jaya’s hospitalisation, her condition at the time of admission, the complications she suffered and the various lines of treatment that was administered to her.

“... The chief minister suffered a massive cardiac arrest on the evening of the 4th December 2016, even while our intensivist was in her room. The CM was immediately administered resuscitation (CPR), and provided ECMO support within the hour. ECMO is the most advanced treatment currently available internationally,” the release said, adding every possible clinical attempt was made to sustain her revival.

“However, despite our best efforts, the CM’s underlying conditions rendered her unable to recover and she passed away at 11.30 pm today,” the Apollo Hospital release said.

Earlier in evening, security was beefed up around Apollo Hospital, the Poes Gardens residence of Jayalalithaa and all vulnerable points in the city and outside.

All roads leading to Poes Gardens residence of Jayalalithaa were cordoned off and policemen and women were stationed all along the 3 km distance between the hospital and her residence.