KARACHI, Jan 24: Ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan who was admitted to a local hospital on Monday for chest infection is recovering and is expected to be discharged from the hospital later this week, his family said on Wednesday.

The doctors have told us there is improvement in his health and they will discharge him in two or three days, Arif Mehdi, Mr Hassan’s son, told Dawn. “He had difficulty in eating food early today but now he is better,” he said.

The veteran singing maestro suffered a chest infection a week ago when he was in Lahore, after which he was shifted to Karachi.

Mr Arif Mehdi said the doctors’ opinion was that in the report of different medical tests taken on Tuesday was encouraging and Mr Mehdi was showing considerable recovery. He said the swelling in his feet and bedsores which Mr Hassan developed recently were also being treated.

Meanwhile, Sindh Minister for Culture Rauf Siddiqui and Advisor to the Chief Minister for Culture, Umer Sharif, visited Aga Khan University Hospital and inquired about his condition. Mr Siddiqui said in recognition of Mehdi Hassan’s services, one of the city’s bridges or flyovers would be named after him.

Mr Siddiqi said Mehdi Hassan was great asset for the country and the world and the ghazals that he had sung had been appreciated everywhere.

He announced Rs50,000 for the singer on behalf of his department, adding that all expenditure of his medical treatment would be paid by the governor.