Oscar Fernandes’ health condition stable; D K Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah call on veteran leader

MANGALURU: Former Union minister and Rajya Sabha member Oscar Fernandes continues to be in the ICU, but his health condition is improving on the third day on Thursday, according to Congress sources.
He was critically injured after an accidental fall at his apartment at Padavinangady, while doing his regular exercises on Monday. KPCC president DK Shivakumar, former chief minister Siddaramaiah, KPCC working president Saleem Ahmed and opposition leader in the Legislative Council S R Patil visited the veteran Congress leader at the hospital on Thursday.
Shivakumar told reporters, after visiting Fernandes and his relatives, that Fernandes’ health condition is better. “His health is not as bad as portrayed in the media. Family members and doctors are confident. He is fine and we are confident that he will make a full recovery. They (doctors) are taking opinion and will decide the next phase of treatment. There are apprehensions since he is in ICU and lacked body movements in the past two days. Let us all pray for his early recovery,” the KPCC president said.
To a query as to whether Fernandes will be shifted elsewhere for treatment, Shivakumar said, Mangaluru hospitals are best in the country. “I have spoken to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi yesterday and they have also spoken to the family members of Fernandes. I also have been sending reports and they are (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi) getting updates on his health condition,” he said.
Meanwhile, the KPCC has cancelled the meeting of party leaders from Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada to be chaired by AICC secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, which was scheduled on Friday. “We have postponed the meeting in the wake of our leader’s ill-health. We will reschedule the same only after Fernandes is recovered,” he added.