Nawaz’s treatment: Medical board in catch-22 situation

LAHORE: The special medical board, formed to assess the health condition of Nawaz Sharif, take care of his health and treat him medically, seems to be in a catch-22 situation, as the medicines for heart complications treat are proving detrimental to the blood cells.

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The board has stopped blood-thinning medicines following diagnosis of autoimmune disorder whereby antibodies were destroying platelets. However, a mild heart attack due to angina prompted doctors to resume blood-thinning medicine that contributed to strengthening of antibodies involved in destruction of platelets.

As the platelets count dropped to 25,000 on Sunday from Saturday’s count of 45,000, the special medical board was forced to discontinue blood-thinning medicines. The platelets count was slated to attain some normality in the next few days, but the fluctuation resurfaced due to administration of blood-thinning medicines for cardiac treatment.

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Meanwhile, Prof Dr Tahir Shamsi, haematologist from Karachi, left for Karachi on Friday night. According to Prof Dr Mahmood Ayyaz, principal SIMS/SHL and head of Special Medical Board, doctors had decided to continue treatment of immune thrombocytopenia purpara (ITP) with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) injections. “The course of 60 injections of IVIG would be completed on Monday (today),” he added.

He said Nawaz Sharif would remain under treatment at Services Hospital till recovery. “It will be inappropriate to shift the patient to somewhere else as doctors at Services Hospital are fully aware of his condition and giving him right treatment,” he told the media. Moreover, he said, Nawaz Sharif had also not expressed any desire to be shifted somewhere else.

He said the board revisited the prescribed medicines, which would help improve platelets count to a normal level. Meanwhile, he added, the cardiologists from Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) would perform duties during night for continuous monitoring of Nawaz’s heart function. “A batch of two senior registrars will remain present during night, and the process would continue till Nov 2,” he added.

According to the roster, Dr Arshad and Dr Amer Jamil will look after Nawaz Sharif on Friday, Dr Nadeem Naseem and Dr Kaleemullah Chaudhry on Saturday, Dr Rasheed and Dr Zahid Shaheen on Sunday, Dr Zameerul Asar and Dr Adnan Makhdoom on Monday, Dr Ghalib and Dr Naveed on Tuesday, Dr Zohaib Sadiq and Dr Ali Hameed on Wednesday while Dr Hamad and Dr Imran Saleem will perform duties on Thursday.

Shamim Begum, Nawaz Sharif’s mother, Kausar Bibi, his sister, and Junaid Safdar, his grandson, visited Services Hospital and inquired about his health. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb and other leaders also visited the hospital on Sunday.