Milkha Singh admitted to ICU at Covid-19 Hospital of PGIMER with dipping oxygen level

Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh was on Thursday admitted to the ICU at the Covid-19 Hospital of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh due to dipping oxygen levels. The admission comes 4 days after he was discharged from a Mohali hospital at the request of his family members.

Milkha Singh is under observation but is stable at the moment, the hospital said. “Milkha Singh has been admitted in ICU in Covid Hospital of PGIMER at 3.35 pm.today due to dipping levels of oxygen.He has been kept under observation and is stable now,” Prof Ashok Kumar, Official Spokesperson of PGIMER said in a statement.

Milkha, a former Commonwealth Games gold medalist, was in stable condition when he was discharged from the Mohali hospital last month. Meanwhile, his wife, Nirmal Milkha Singh has been receiving treatment in the ICU for Covid-19 due to fluctuating oxygen levels.

Notably, Milkha Singh’s son and ace golfer, Jeev Milkha Singh, flew down to Chandigarh from Dubai last week. His daughter, Mona Milkha Singh, who is a doctor in the United States, also flew to India to support the legendary athlete.

The hospital had earlier said that they were being treated for Covid pneumonia. While Milkha, 91, was admitted to the hospital on Monday, his 82-year-old wife got admission in the same facility on Wednesday after testing positive for the virus.

Milkha is suspected to have contracted the infection from the house helps who had tested positive for the virus. His wife had earlier tested negative for the virus when the others in his family contracted the virus.

The legendary athlete is a four-time Asian Games gold medallist and 1958 Commonwealth Games champion but his greatest performance was the fourth-place finish in the 400m final at the 1960 Rome. He also represented India in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics and was bestowed the Padma Shri in 1959.