Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee critical, on life support: AIIMS

New Delhi, Aug 15: Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's health has worsened over last 24 hours and is critical, an official statement by AIIMS said on Wednesday.

Unortunately, his condition has worsened over the last 24 hours," AIIMS said. "His condition is critical, and he is on life support system."

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal visited AIIMS to enquire about the health condition of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who has been undergoing treatment at the premier institute.

PM Modi reached the hospital at around 7.15 pm and spent about 50 minutes there.This is PM Modi's fourth visit to Vajpayee since he was admitted to AIIMS on July 11.

BJP chief Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Vice President Vankaiah Naidu and several chief ministers and union ministers have visited Vajpayee at the AIIMS over the past 11 days.

Vajpayee was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on June 11 with kidney tract infection, chest congestion, urinary tract infection and low urine output.

The 93-year-old BJP leader, a diabetic, has one functional kidney. He had suffered a stroke in 2009 that weakened his cognitive abilities. Subsequently, he developed dementia.