Signs of improvement in SP Balasubrahmanyam’s health

Legendary playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam is still on life support but has shown signs of improvement and is on the road “towards getting better”, his son and film producer S P Charan said on Sunday.

SPB, as he is popularly known as, tested positive for coronavirus on August 5.

The 74-year-old playback singer, who was moved to the ICU of a Chennai private hospital and put on life support following a deterioration in his health, is now “able to recognize people” and even “showed thumbs up” sign to doctors.

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In a video message, Charan said though there are signs of improvement in his health condition, SPB’s recovery would take a long time. He also said his father has moved from the third floor ICU to an “exclusive ICU room” on the sixth floor of the hospital on Sunday.

“The pleasant news is there is some mobility and Dad is moving around (in the bed). He showed thumbs-up signs to doctors, but he is still on life support. He is breathing a little more comfortably than a few days back and doctors see it as a very good (and) a pleasant sign. He is on the road towards getting better,” Charan said.

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He added that the recovery could take more than a week but expressed the hope that he will come back home as soon as possible. “He is going to recover and get back to us. He is looking good and is able to recognize people. He will not talk for a little while but surely he will get to that level soon enough, if I may say,” Charan said.

He also said his mother Savitri, who is also receiving treatment at the hospital, is likely to be discharged by Wednesday. “I hope dad will follow her back home as soon as possible…Let us all keep praying,” Charan said.