The health of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif showed further improvement on Friday as his platelet count reached 55,000, a private TV channel reported. However, the head of the government-constituted medical board, Dr Mahmood Ayaz, recommended against discharge. The medical team is scheduled to run more tests, as medication is reportedly affecting Nawaz’s heart and kidneys. Nawaz has been admitted in Lahore’s Services Hospital for the past 11 days. He was diagnosed with acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and underwent a five-day Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy. The former prime minister also suffered an angina attack during his hospitalisation. The former prime minister’s IVIg therapy has been suspended due to heart and kidney problems and now his blood platelets will increase naturally through treatment with food. The blood platelets will now gradually increase by around five to six thousands daily, Dr Ayaz said. His medical treatment will continue as he cannot be discharged from the hospital, he added. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has recently approved the bail petition of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on medical grounds after suspending his jail sentence for eight weeks in Al-Azizia reference.