Nepal President Paudel airlifted to AIIMS, Delhi for medical treatment

Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel on Wednesday was airlifted to India for treatment after he was admitted to a hospital in Kathmandu for the second time within a month after he complained of shortness of breath, his press aide said.

Paudel, 78, was admitted to TU Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu on Tuesday. A preliminary investigation has revealed that he had a chest infection.

President Paudel will undergo treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, (AIIMS), New Delhi, the aide said.

Kiran Pokharel, the press adviser to the President, said that the President was medevacked to India in an air ambulance around 10.30 am on Wednesday.

He was accompanied by his son Chintan Paudel and others.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Purna Bahadur Khadka, among other leaders, visited him to inquire about his health condition.

Last week, the President complained of pain in his stomach. On April 1, President Paudel was admitted to a hospital here for the first time after complaining of some problem in his stomach.

A Cabinet meeting on Tuesday decided to deploy a team of government officials, led by the health secretary, to facilitate his treatment. The team will assess the nature of the President’s illness and report to the government, a minister said.

Further decisions on the President’s treatment will be taken after the team submits its report.

Paudel of the Nepali Congress was elected as the new president of Nepal last month, in a relief to the fragile coalition government headed by Prime Minister Prachanda'.

Paudel, a common candidate of the eight-party alliance that included the Nepali Congress and Prime Minister 'Prachanda'-led CPN (Maoist Center), received the vote of 214 lawmakers of Parliament and 352 provincial assembly members.