Manmohan back home

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returned home on Sunday morning after he was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, over a week after he underwent a redo by-pass heart surgery.

Before leaving the hospital along with his wife and daughter, Mr Singh thanked the doctors and other staff who were attending on him.

���Dr Singh���s health will continue to be monitored by doctors during the coming weeks. He has been advised to continue to increase his diet and step up his physical activities. Dr Singh expressed deep appreciation and gratitude for the warm wishes he has received from people across the country for his speedy recovery,��� an official statement said.

Health minister Anbumani Ramadoss told reporters that the prime minister was very cheerful and was ���enquiring about activities and happenings.��� Mr Ramadoss said the prime minister had already started reading official files.

The prime minister���s condition will be monitored at his residence by a team of doctors headed by Dr Srinath Reddy, his personal physician and a cardiologist, cardiac rehabilitation specialist Dr Ashish Contractor from Asian Heart Institute and Dr Vijay D���Silva besides three nurses from the Mumbai-based hospital. While Dr D���Silva will take care of the prime minister for a few days, Dr Contractor will stay back for a week. Dr Ramakant Panda of the Asian Heart Institute who conducted the surgery would stay on for two more days to take care of the prime minister.

The PM left the hospital at 7.45 am, a day after pre-discharge tests were conducted on him. Doctors have projected a six-week recuperation time for him.