Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam on ventilator, son Charan says he is stable

The singer was hospitalised on 5 August after testing Covid positive, but his son later said he tested negative. Charan then posted a video which didn't clarify if the singer had Covid.

S P Balasubrahmanyam | @NivinPauly | Twitter

Chennai: Popular playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam fighting COVID continues to be on ventilator and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation support and his current condition is stable, a hospital treating him said here on Monday.

The veteran singer “continues to be on ventilator and ECMO support in the Intensive Care Unit,” MGM Healthcare’s Assistant Director of Medical Services, Dr Anuradha Baskaran said.

Balasubrahmanyam’s “current clinical condition is stable and he continues to be closely monitored by our multidisciplinary clinical team,” she said in a bulletin.

After issuing a statement that his father has tested negative for the virus and he is stable, the singer’s son Charan, later in a video message, came up with an explainer.

Charan, also a filmmaker, said he usually provided updates on his father’s health after he had a discussion with the medical team from the hospital.

“But, unfortunately I am forced to put up a post in the morning,” he said, adding regardless of whether his father was “COVID negative or positive” he continued to be on ventilator and ECMO (a heart-lung assistance machine) support.

“He is stable fortunately,” he said and hoped that the stability factor would help his early recovery.

The 74-year old Balasubrahmanyam, hugely popular for his singing skills in several languages, was admitted to MGM Healthcare on August 5 after he tested positive for COVID-19.

This copy has been updated by PTI to include Charan’s video statement.