- PMLN spokesperson says special health unit had been set up at Sharif’s home
- Doctors recommend genetic testing which is not available in Pakistan
LAHORE: Pakistan’s ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was discharged from Lahore’s Services Hospital today and taken home, a spokesman for his Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) party said on Wednesday.
Sharif is serving a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted on corruption charges last year. He was taken to a Lahore hospital last month where he was diagnosed with an immune system disorder. He also had a heart attack while he was hospitalized.
A specialised HDU is established for medical care of Nawaz Sharif which is appropriately equipped & staffed 24/7. (Photo Courtesy: Dr Adnan's twitter account)
PMLN spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a statement that a special health unit had been set up at Nawaz Sharif’s home. His daughter Maryam Nawaz, who was also released on bail on Monday, left Service’s Hospital in an ambulance with her father.
“Intensive Care Unit has been set up at Sharif’s residence and the doctors have advised not to allow people to meet him because of his health condition,” Aurangzeb said, adding that doctors feared the former PM might develop infections due to low platelet counts.
Though Sharif’s platelet count has improved in the last two weeks, on Tuesday doctors discovered that it was dropping again.
“Sharif’s platelet count is on a decline again,” Sharif’s personal physician Dr. Adnan Khan told Arab News. “We cannot introduce blood-thinning medicines since they will aggravate the cardiac issue. The risk of spontaneous bleeding still remains.”
Doctors have suggested more medical tests, including a genetic examination which is not available in Pakistan.
“Certain medical tests — including a genetic test — is necessary to diagnose his disease,” said Dr. Ayaz Mahmood who heads a special board constituted by the government to monitor Sharif’s health. “Genetic test facility is not available in Pakistan and we have conveyed this to all concerned including his family.”
Commenting on the possibility of Sharif leaving Pakistan for treatment, the doctor said: “If he wishes to travel, he can.”
Last month, the former PM was granted bail in a corruption case involving a sugar mill for which he had been remanded in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau for questioning. He was also granted medical bail in the Al Azizia steel mill corruption case for which he is serving seven years in prison.