Jaitley kept under 1-day observation at AIIMS, to undergo surgery tomorrow

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday underwent a series of medical tests at the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi ahead of his kidney transplant surgery.

Sixty-five-year-old Jaitley, who was admitted to AIIMS last evening in New Delhi, has been kept under observation.

Sources said that keeping a kidney transplant patient under one-day observation is a routine medical procedure and his surgery is likely to be done on Sunday.

Jaitley is suffering from a kidney ailment and has not been attending office since Monday. He has not even taken oath of office after being re-elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Sources said the minister, who was kept in a 'controlled environment' at home, was shifted to the AIIMS on Friday evening.

A kidney transplant operation was scheduled for Saturday and all formalities for a donor kidney were also completed.

The minister, who cancelled his scheduled visit to London for the 10th India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue next week, had confirmed his illness in a tweet on Friday."I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted," he had tweeted.

Jaitley, however, had not elaborated on the ailment, but said he was "currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me."

He is likely to be operated by nephrologist Dr Sandeep Guleria from Apollo hospital, also brother of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, who is a family friend of Jaitley.

Jaitley had in September 2014 undergone a bariatric surgery to treat weight gain that he suffered because of a long-standing diabetic condition. That surgery was first performed at Max Hospital, but he had to be later shifted to AIIMS because of complications.

PTI