Sathya Sai Baba's condition stable, Puttaparthi tense

According to the latest medical bulletin, spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, who was hospitalised ten days ago following lung and chest congestion, is responding to treatment. But the bulletin added that he was suffering from multi-organ dysfunction and was being kept on ventilator support.

Sathya Sai Baba, 86, is on continuous renal replacement therapy in order to help his respiratory and kidney functions, doctors attending on him said in Puttaparthi on Wednesday.

Dr A N Safaya, director of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, said that the spiritual leader's condition was stable, but refused to divulge any details about how long he would have to stay in the Intensive Care Unit.

"We are providing him with the best of treatment and are hopeful that everything would be fine," he said.

According to the doctors, Sathya Sai Baba's heartbeat and blood pressure remained  normal; the problem was the dysfunction of the kidneys and the accumulation of water in his body.

Devotees who have gathered in Puttaparthy feel that the hospital staff is not giving out enough details; they have been demanding video footage and photographs of their spiritual leader. Doctors have refused to heed to their requests and advised the devotees to stay away from the hospital to minimise chances of infection.

Security arrangements in Puttaparthy have been beefed up and the entrance to the town has been virtually sealed off; no vehicles or people are being allowed to enter.

Special prayers have been held in both ashrams at Whitefield (near Bengaluru) and Puttaparthi for the speedy recovery of the spiritual leader.

The Andhra Pradesh government has sent a five-member team to Puttaparthi to sort out the issue of succession, should the need arise, and is exploring the possibility of a takeover of the trust.

The five-member team comprises Principal Finance Secretary L V Subramanyam; Principal Health Secretary P V Ramesh, Director of Medical Education Dr Raghu Raju; Osmania General Hospital cardiologist Dr Laxman Rao and OGH general physician Dr Bhanu Prasad. The team has already held consultations with members of the trust.

The Sathya Sai Central Trust is worth over Rs 40,000 crore and is the recipient of a large amount of annual donations. The government team will check if the accounts of the trust are being properly maintained and if there are any disputes between members of the trust. It would then hand over its final report to the state government.