Chennai: Apollo Hospitals on Thursday said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s “mental functions are absolutely normal” and that she can go home as and when she wants to, but continues to recuperate in the ICU to avoid any infection.

The 68-year-old AIADMK supremo was also “living beautifully” without ventilator, but respiratory support was being given to her periodically to ensure that her lungs don’t collapse, Apollo Hospitals Chairman Pratap C Reddy said.

Replying to a question by reporters about when Jayalalithaa can resume her official responsibilities, Reddy said, “Responsibility at that level is to guide and direct. I suppose that she can do well even now.”

“She lives beautifully without ventilator but that has been kept so that the lungs should not collapse. Only for that purpose it is used. She is sleeping normally, and eating normal food and an increased high-protein diet that her body needs,” he said.

“Her mental functions, I can assure you, are absolutely normal,” he added.

Reddy said that Jayalalithaa has “recovered completely” and that “she is doing well,” but continues to recuperate in the ICU to avoid any infection. She was in ICU “to keep her infection-free, not to get exposed to any infection,” he said.

“Even when we get fever for 10 days and take all those antibiotics for 10 days, our resistance is low. So it makes sense for us to see that she is now in a place where the restrictions are there so that she won’t get any infection,” he added.

The Chief Minister can leave the hospital “any time she will want to,” Reddy said.