KATHMANDU, July 9: Doctors attending to Shashank Koirala, general secretary of the Nepali Congress, have started providing him liquid foods from Friday after his health showed significant improvement.

"We gave him liquid foods like black tea, lentil soup and water," Dr Lava Narshing Joshi, who has been attending to Koirala, informed. Joshi said Koirala's diet would be gradually increased.

Although Koirala has been breathing without the help of ventilator, talking and taking liquid foods on his own, he is still not out of danger, said Joshi.

Koirala is still admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Leader Koirala was rushed to Om Hospital after he complained of abdominal pain and respiratory problem Tuesday evening. He was kept on ventilator support on Wednesday morning after his condition got critical. He was removed from ventilator on Thursday morning.

According to Dr Joshi, they have not allowed visitors to meet leader Koirala. His blood pressure is said to be normal without taking any medicine to maintain his blood pressure.

Koirala was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia on Wednesday.  

The hospital said that senior doctors in capital, including Dr Bhagwan Koirala, Dr Arjun Karki, Dr Upendra Devkota and others have been attending to Koirala.