Arrested TN minister Balaji to have open-heart surgery on June 21

Arrested Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji will undergo an open-heart surgery at a private hospital in Chennai on June 21, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said on Tuesday, a week after the beleaguered DMK leader was advised a bypass surgery.

The surgery will be performed early on Wednesday, Subramanian told reporters in Chennai.

"Since the surgery has to be mandatorily performed on Senthil Balaji it will be done tomorrow," he said.

"We are in touch with hospital administration… they are going to do open-heart surgery early morning tomorrow," Subramanian added.

Balaj was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a cash-for-jobs scam last week. He was initially admitted to a government hospital after he complained of chest pain but was shifted to the private facility following a court order.

The government hospital had on June 14 said Balaji had then undergone a coronory angiogram which had revealed "triple vessel disease" and advised coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery at the 'earliest.' 

On Tuesday, Subramanian said his colleague was not aware of the "critical blocks" before they were diagnosed last week by the government doctors.

His family doctor as well medical experts from the ESI Hospital, referred to by the ED, endorsed it and said the surgery was required, he added.

"Now the doctors (at Kauvery Hospital) are ready for the surgery," he said.

Earlier, certain medicines that Balaji was prescribed earlier had to be stopped and only "5-6 days" from then could the surgery be done, the health minister said.