JPMC prepped up for Dr Asim’s stay after medical board’s go-ahead 

Karachi

Special arrangements at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for admitting detained Pakistan People’s Party leader and former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain were finalised on Tuesday, following the recommendation of a five-member medical board comprising senior physicians and psychiatrists.

The board on Tuesday recommended Dr Asim’s admission to a hospital to conduct more tests for determining his nature of illness and its treatment.

It was set up by the JPMC’s executive director Dr Anisuddin Bhatti and comprised senior psychiatrist Dr S Haroon Ahmed, radiologist Dr Tariq Mehmood, neurologist Dr Iqbal Afridi, Dr Rukhsana Sattar and JPMC’s legal officer Irfan Ahmed.

Members of the board agreed that Dr Asim needed to be tested further, for which he should be admitted into a hospital where his condition could be monitored during the course of medical examinations.

The board also agreed that Dr Asim, who was a diabetic and also had hypertension, suffered from “mental stress” and his overall state of health required his admission into a health facility for continuous surveillance and monitoring of his health and mental condition.

Following the board’s recommendation, a room was duly acquired at the officers’ ward of JPMC on Tuesday evening where the staff of Ziauddin Hospital and private guards were posted to attend to Dr Asim.

However, till Tuesday night, Dr Asim had not been taken to the JPMC while his family, staff of Ziauddin Hospital and media persons anxiously awaited his arrival at the hospital.

Executive director JPMC Dr Anisuddin Bhatti had told newsmen that the medical board recommended that Dr Asim be shifted to a hospital for surveillance and further medical examination, because he was suffering from stress and required continuous medical attention.

It is worth mentioning that Dr Asim has undergone several medical tests at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) and MRIs of brain and backbone at the JPMC’s radiology department since his arrest by the Sindh Rangers last year.

The former federal minister was also examined by psychiatrist Dr S Haroon Ahmed, who had recommended psychotherapy for him due to incredible stress and depression he had been facing since his detention.