September 6, 2007
Nepal Crown Prince Survives
Major Heart Attack By Sudeshna Sarkar
Kathmandu
The heir to Nepal's throne, Crown Prince Paras, who faces the
abolition of his inheritance at an election in November, survived a
major heart attack Thursday and was put in the intensive care unit
for the next 48 hours, doctors said.
The 36-year-old, who has been variously described as the hero and
villain of the terrible massacre in the royal palace six years ago
that killed his uncle, then king Birendra, and his entire family,
had the attack at his official residence Nirmal Niwas in the capital
around 10 a.m., the doctors at the Norvic-Escorts International
Hospital here told IANS.
The hospital, Nepal's prime heart care centre run with Indian
collaboration, received a call in the morning from the crown
prince's residence and rushed two doctors there.
Senior cardiologist Shyam Bahadur Pande did an immediate ECG on the
patient and found it abnormal.
A Nepal Army ambulance then rushed the prince to Norvic where a team
of five doctors, headed by eminent Indian cardiologist Bharat Rawat,
did a quick angiography to diagnose the problem.
"Almost 95 percent of the right artery was blocked," Rawat said. "It
was not pumping blood to the heart.
"Within 55 minutes, we had done an angioplasty and stenting, putting
a stent - a metallic coil - in the artery to stop it from
collapsing," Rawat said.
While the prince is out of danger, he has to be kept under
observation since one to two percent patients develop blood clots in
the aftermath of angioplasty and have a second attack, the
cardiologist said.
After 48 hours in the ICU, the prince, known for his fondness for
fast cars, football and late night parties in discotheques, would
have to remain in the hospital for three more days, followed by
three weeks of rest.
Though the test results were not out immediately, Rawat said the
crown prince had a family history of heart attacks and high
cholesterol.
Almost immediately after the prince was taken to the hospital, his
parents King Gyanendra and Queen Komal and other members of the
royal family including his wife Crown Princess Himani and sister
Princess Prerana reached the hospital amidst tight security.
But doctors ruled out any visitors immediately, even his royal
parents.
"They can just have a peek," a doctor said.
The heart attack triggered by high blood pressure came a day after
the royal family lost its last support in the kingdom.
The Nepali Congress, the country's biggest political party that had
so far been supporting monarchy, said it would contest the Nov 22
elections with a manifesto of federal democratic republic.
The fresh blow came after the new multi-party government took away
the king's power and privileges and this year and began
nationalising the properties the monarch had inherited from his
slain elder brother Birendra.
After the fall of the royal regime last year, the crown prince was
said to have become a vegetarian, refused drinks at his own birthday
party, and attending Art of Living meditation courses.
With just 76 days left for an election that would for the first time
ask people to vote between the king and a republic, the royal family
has been passing through a gloomy period.
Even if the king manages to survive the constituent assembly
election, there have been calls for axing Paras' inheritance and
giving the crown to his son Prince Hridayendra instead.
In the past, when he had not been made crown prince, Paras was
reported to have been involved in a car accident that killed a
popular singer. However, he escaped legal action after someone else
claimed he was driving the car and the royal family enjoyed legal
immunity.
However, several political leaders began a campaign and collected
10,000 signatures from people who urged then king Birendra to strip
Paras of his royal title.
The crown prince is said to have vehemently opposed his father's
decision last year to hand over power to the opposition parties
after an uprising that paralysed the kingdom for 19 days.
This week, after three bombs went off in Kathmandu killing three
women and injuring 26 people, the Maoists alleged in their
mouthpiece publication that the crown prince had engineered the
blasts.
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