The Prime Minister is in the recovery room, and he s feeling comfortable. He s not under sedation. Apparently, only a regional block was used to numb the area of operation, otherwise known as local anesthesia. Ranawat also said that no surgery would be needed for a long time for the other knee, as the prime minister was able to distribute body weight well on both legs . Vajpayee, however, may have to remain in the hospital for up to a fortnight for post- operative physiotherapy.
Recovery depends on the individual patient s health.
He ll have to start walking using a walker first, after which he can graduate to a walking- stick, Ranawat said. He added that it was up to the prime minister to decide how long he wanted to keep using the walking stick. For now, though, the PM will have to remain undisturbed for the next 3-4 days. There will be no visitors, no telephone calls either, he said. Indian President K.R. Narayanan, however, called around noon to enquire about the PM s recovery.