KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) president Girija Prasad Koirala is recuperating, albeit slowly, physicians attending him at the Martyr Gangalal Heart Centre, saidon Wednesday.

Koirala was admitted to the Centre on Monday morning following bouts of breathing difficulty and failure to take oxygen given to him at home.

"We have reduced the level of oxygen after we found that the oxygen level in his blood has gone up," said Dr. Arun Maskey, director at the Centre. In addition to chronic pneumonia, Koirala is suffering from lung infection and asthma.

According to Dr. Maskey, physicians have suggested Koirala to go abroad for further treatment only after his infection subsided.

Further details were sketchy as doctors attending Koirala are available for comments tomorrow morning.

Hospital sources, meanwhile, said as soon as

Koirala started feeling better this morning; he pressed

his doctors to send him home. But the doctors were unwilling to abandon him, arguing that the treatment was still going on, said

Meanwhile, today, Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Unified CPN-Maoist chairman and Jhalanath Khanal, CPN-UML chairman separately met Koirala at the Centre and wished for his speedy recovery.

"The duo talked with him briefly and left," said Sujata Koirala, Koirala's daughter.

"Once I get recovered in a few days, you, me and Prachandajee should meet to resolve the country's longstanding political impasse," UML chairman Khanal, quoted Koirala as saying. Khanal is said have briefly dwelt upon his India visit to Koirala during the meeting.

Inquiring the health condition of the octogenarian

leader, scores of leaders from different political parties had visited the Martyr Gangalal Heart Centre and wished his speedy recovery.

Koirala's personal doctors Arjun Karki and Jagadish Agrawal had suggested him to go to Singapore for treatment. But the trip scheduled for today was cancelled at the eleventh hour as his heath was in 'unstable' condition. In another occasion, UCPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda today telephoned Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and wished for his speedy recovery.

According to Bishnu Rijal, the Prime Minister's press advisor, Nepal has also fallen ill since Sunday. "The PM has high fever," said Rijal.

Meanwhile, UML chairman Khanal also called on PM Nepal at his residence in Baluwatar and apprised him of his recent India visit.

The two leaders of the UML briefly dwelt on political deadlock that is obstructing the statute drafting, said sources.