Shripad Naik out of danger, may be discharged in 10-15 days: GMC dean

PANAJI: Ayush minister Shripad Naik, who underwent three major and one minor surgery on Monday night after he met with a road accident in Karnataka, may be discharged from hospital in around 10-15 days, Goa Medical College (GMC) dean Dr S M Bandekar said on Tuesday. However, his total recovery will take him three months, he added.
Naik suffered multiple fractures in the accident, that killed his wife Vijaya and aide Dr Deepak Ghume, both of who had accompanied him on the trip to Karnataka.His shoulder was crushed, and he sustained injuries in his forearm and thigh.
“The shoulder was re-constructed and other fractures were fixed,” Bandekar said. “Once he is mobilised and can sit on the bed, he can be discharged, and this will take 10-15 days.”
Tha ambulance carrying Naik arrived at GMC at around 11pm. Prior to the surgeries, a meeting of heads of departments was held.
Then, from 2am to 8am, Bandekar, an orthopedic surgeon, performed three surgeries on Naik. The Ayush minister also suffered a chest injury, which led to bleeding. The bleeding stopped after the treatment, he said.
“He is stable and out of danger, but we have kept him in the intensive care unit (ICU) for close monitoring. He was sedated to alleviate his pain, and from tomorrow he will be fully conscious,” Bandekar told reporters.
A team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is scheduled to visit GMC to check on Naik soon. However, Bandekar said he doesn’t think Naik needs to be moved to Delhi. “We have given him all the care that was required, and I don’t see a reason to shift him elsewhere, but that is for the government to decide,” he said, replying to a reporter’s question.
Asked whether Naik’s battle with Covid a few months ago would have a bearing on his recovery, Bandekar said that no injuries were evident in his lungs. “Many months have passed since his recovery from Covid-19,” the dean said. “He had almost returned to normal life. His chest X-Ray did not show the presence of fibrosis.”
Four months ago, both Naik and his wife were down with Covid-19, and recovered after several days in hospital.