Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is likely to be shifted to the Sharif Medical City on Wednesday (today).
Reports earlier claimed that the former prime minister had been discharged from the Services Hospital where he had been undergoing medical treatment since the past two weeks. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif was present at the hospital and doctors from the Sharif Medical City had also arrived at Services Hospital. However, Nawaz changed his mind and requested that he spend the night at the hospital.
Nawaz was to be shifted to the Sharif Medical City Hospital but since the release orders for his daughter Maryam Nawaz could not be obtained from Lahore High Court, the former prime minister reportedly decided to delay his departure from the hospital so the two could leave together. Later, when Nawaz decided to stay on at the hospital till Maryam’s release was secured, the ambulance was sent back. Dr Mehmood Ayaz, who heads the panel of doctors overseeing the treatment of the former prime minister, said Nawaz had himself expressed desire to be shifted to the Sharif Medical City Hospital.
He informed the media that certain medical tests – including a genetic test – that have been recommended for Nawaz are not available in Pakistan. He said that Nawaz’s health, overall, had seen an improvement. “If he wishes to travel, he can,” he said.
Dr Ayaz said Nawaz Sharif may need to go abroad for treatment. “Health department should talk to us,” he said, adding the medical board set up for the PML-N leader’s treatment will give in writing that he should undergo genetic test from abroad. He said the foreign visit will become essential if doctors wanted to examine his body tissues in order to diagnose the exact cause of his illness. He said the PML-N leader was not facing a minor genetic issue.
In response to the doctor’s suggestion, Interior Minister Ejaz Shah hinted at allowing the former prime minister to seek treatment from abroad if ‘it was the only available option’. “If going abroad for treatment is the only option for Nawaz, then the government will find a way,” he said, and prayed for Nawaz’s health.