Karunanidhi's health worsens, DMK chief's response to treatment over next 24 hours critical, says Kauvery Hospital

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M Karunanidhi’s health has worsened, Chennai’s Kauvery Hospital said in a statement on Monday. The hospital said that maintaining the functioning of his vital organs was still a challenge for doctors because of his age-related ailments. The DMK patriarch is on “continuous monitoring and being treated with active medical support,” the executive director of the hospital Dr Aravindan Selvaraj said in the release. “His response to the medical interventions over the next 24 hours will determine the prognosis.”

The doctors, according to The Times of India, also said that Karunanidhi’s health remains critical. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president S Thirunavukkarasar, after meeting the DMK chief, said on Monday that Karunanidhi’s condition has not been too good since morning, the report added. Senior DMK leaders, including General Secretary K Anbazhagan, A Raja, KN Nehru and Ponmudi, also visited him in hospital on Monday, TimesNow reported. President Ram Nath Kovind visited the ailing DMK president on Sunday and enquired about his health. He briefly interacted with Karunanidhi’s son and DMK working president MK Stalin and DMK MP Kanimozhi. Kovind was accompanied by Governor Banwarilal Purohit. Karunanidhi was admitted to the hospital after a dip in his blood pressure on 28 July. On 31 July, the hospital said the leader would require an extended period of hospitalisation due to a “decline” in his general health, though his vital parameters have normalised.