Drastic fall in platelets count starts causing rashes on Nawaz skin

LAHORE: While former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s travel abroad has been delayed due to federal government’s indecision on removal of his name from the no-fly list, the symptoms of his ailment of mysterious fall in platelets count have started appearing on his body in the form of skin rashes.

“Any bleeding as a result of skin bruises due to critically low platelets count will be a life threatening sign,” sources close to the official special medical board and private medical board, formed to treat Nawaz Sharif in Services Hospital and then the makeshift ICU at his Jati Umra residence respectively, told The News on Tuesday.

It is learnt that Nawaz Sharif’s platelets count dropped from 28,000 to 20,000 in a week after he was shifted to his Jati Umra residence from Services Hospital Lahore on Nov 6, despite all-out efforts to stabilise his condition and the platelets count.

Dr Adnan Khan, Nawaz Sharif’s personal physician, expressed concerns over federal government’s undue delay in taking a decision about removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL), saying that the cabinet sub-committee on the ECL had concluded hearing and reserved its decision till 10am on Wednesday (today) when it was likely to receive National Accountability Bureau’s pending reply. “I would reiterate, Mr Sharif must be allowed to travel abroad unconditionally to a centre of medical excellence for treatment,” he added.

He said Nawaz Sharif’s condition remains critical and life threatening. “Every minute counts,” he said.

Meanwhile, the private medical board comprising doctors of Sharif Medical City and Ittefaq Hospital has been trying to manage his platelets count in relation to his co-morbidities. It is learnt that Nawaz Sharif’s multiple ailments react in conflict to medication for each complication, and doctors are struggling to maintain his platelets count as they try to maintain a delicate balance to manage his multiple pathologies simultaneously.

“The administering of steroids to increase platelets triggers blood sugar and blood pressure, besides affecting renal and cardiac functioning,” a source said, adding that it will be a huge challenge for doctors to maintain his platelets count to a reasonable level without disturbing other vital indicators to enable him to travel abroad through an air-ambulance.

Sources said Nawaz Sharif was not allowed to meet visitors as doctors had only been allowing family members and some special guests through visitor’s pass in order to prevent contracting any infection. “It will be extremely difficult to fight an infection considering his complications,” a source said, adding that this was very reason that Nawaz Sharif was shifted to a makeshift ICU at his home from Services Hospital and also not kept in Sharif Medical City Hospital to avoid hospital acquired infection.