Arrested Tamil Nadu Minister To Undergo Heart Surgery After Initial Tests

Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on money laundering charges, was being treated in the ICU with cardiac monitoring, the private hospital treating him said on Friday.

Following a court relief, Balaji was shifted to the Kauvery Main Hospital here on Thursday from a government facility in city. He also holds the Prohibition and Excise portfolio.

He was assessed by a team of doctors led by A R Raghuram, Senior Consultant Cardio Thoracic Surgeon, who has advised early Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery, a medical bulletin issued by Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, co-founder and Executive Director, Kauvery Group of Hospitals, said.

"He is undergoing further tests to assess fitness for anaesthesia and based on the assessment, the surgery will be planned," it added.

Balaji is currently being treated in ICU with cardiac monitoring and being looked after by a multidisciplinary team of doctors and nurses, it added.

Balaji was arrested by the ED in a cash-for-jobs scam allegedly involving him when he was Transport minister in the then CM J Jayalalithaa-led cabinet.

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