Ishaq Dar admitted to hospital

LONDON: Former finance minister Ishaq Dar has been admitted to London Bridge Hospital for treatment of his chronic neck and lower back pain. He is being given steroid injections into his cervical spine in the form of nerve root block and facet joint steroid injections.

He had been having chronic progressive neck pain radiating to the arm for which he was referred by his Cardiac Surgeon to a Consultant Spinal Neurosurgeon at the London Spinal Centre. A 21st December 2017 report issued by the doctor confirmed that Ishaq Dar suffered multi-level disc herniation and neural foraminal stenosis in the cervical spine particularly at C3/4, C5/6 and C6/7. The report also said that Dar’s symptoms have worsened, rating him it as “9/10 on the VAS” with Disc protrusion at the L4/5 level.

Ishaq Dar came to London on 29th October 2017 after complaining of chest heaviness and shortness of breath while performing Umrah in Saudi Arabia a day earlier. In London, his Coronary Angiography was initially undertaken. Subsequently, Transthoracic Echocardiogram and a Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram were done among other tests and it was established that he had issues with one of the coronary vessels, which for the time being is being treated with strong medication to avoid surgical intervention.

In the 3rd week of November 2017, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi accepted Dar’s request to relinquish his charge of the various Cabinet Division he was heading and granted him a Leave of Absence for 3 months. Senator Dar is expected to be discharged tomorrow after today’s procedure that lasted for over 1.5 hours.