Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the country’s first five-star army officer, has been undergoing treatment for lung ailment and other respiratory problems at the Military Hospital in Wellington for the past month. His health has been ‘‘volatile’’ for the last two years, but this time his condition is ‘‘serious’’. This is his longest stay in the hospital.Speaking to The Indian Express, an army officer at the Military Hospital in Wellington said, ‘‘His condition is stable but delicate. He is 92 years old, so we have advised that he remain here under our care for observation . He does not have a respirator at home, which is something he needs more frequently now.’’He was flown to Delhi in November last year for specialised treatment at the Army Research & Referral Hospital for respiratory problems and a kidney ailment. His condition is understood to have stabilised briefly before deteriorating again two months ago. Manekshaw’s daughter Sherry Batliwala and her husband are with the ailing former-Army Chief in Wellington. Speaking from his residence, she said, ‘‘It is just more convenient to keep him at the hospital. The thin mountain air has also had something to do with it.’’Most of the hospital staff, including the hospital chief Col R T Draper, are currently focusing on Manekshaw’s treatment who is accompanied by at least two trained medical attendants.For now there are no plans to shift Manekshaw to Delhi, though the option is being kept open if his condition worsens.
