Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is suffering from a kidney ailment and may have to undergo a possible transplant.
Jaitley, 65, has skipped office since Monday and even missed the oath of taking office after being re-elected to the Rajya Sabha. He was taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi for diagnostic tests, sources close to the minister and doctors said.
The minister, who cancelled his scheduled visit to London to attend the India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue, confirmed his illness in a tweet.
I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me.
A source at AIIMS said that the minister is likely to undergo kidney transplant and formalities for a donor kidney have been completed. Depending on doctors' advice, Jaitley may be admitted to the Cardio-Neuro Tower at AIIMS. The centre is housed in a separate building and is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.
He is likely to be operated by nephrologist Sandeep Guleria from Apollo Hospitals. He is the brother of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, who is a family friend of Jaitley.
The minister, however, has not yet been hospitalised but has been advised to avoid going out in public for fear of catching infection. Sources said Jaitley's present condition may be a fallout of the bariatric surgery he had undergone soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.
He underwent the 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 then had to be shifted to AIIMS because of complications. The minister, who suffers from chronic diabetes, had heart surgery several years ago.
Though he has not been attending office since Monday, he is clearing files from his residence, sources said.
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