Nawaz Sharif shifted to hospital with low platelet count

LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was shifted to Services Hospital Lahore for medical examination and treatment after his condition deteriorated with a sudden drop in his platelet count.

According to a National Accountability Bureau spokesperson Nawaz was tested for dengue fever at the hospital, but the test results came back negative.

Taking to Twitter, the former prime minister’s personal physician Dr Adnan Malik stated that Nawaz required immediate in-hospital care.

“Former PM #NawazSharif is detected to have critically low Platelet Count (16*10^9/L) that could be due to multiple pathologies & requires immediate in-hospital care. I’ve requested the concerned authorities to act in urgency please,” he tweeted.

Nawaz was shifted to Services Hospital late Monday night under tight security. The law-enforcing agencies cordoned off the hospital, and patients and their attendants were being subjected to strict security checks.

A team of specialists, led by Principal SIMS/Services Hospital Professor Dr Mahmood Ayyaz, examined Nawaz and conducted the necessary tests to start treatment accordingly.

Earlier, Dr Adnan Khan met Nawaz Sharif for consultation and evaluation in Kot Lakhpat Jail. “He’s visibly unwell and has multiple serious life-threatening health issues of acute nature,” he wrote on Twitter.

He recommended immediate hospitalisation for workup and treatment. “The matter is of utmost urgency. I’ve requested the authorities concerned to act in urgency,” he said. 

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shehbaz Sharif said that the government’s act of not shifting the former prime minister earlier to a hospital for medical care was the worst example of political vengeance and insensitivity.

“If anything happens to Nawaz Sharif, we will blame Imran Khan for it,” he said.