KARACHI: The family of former Olympian and 1994 hockey World Cup winning goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed, who is undergoing treatment for heart ailment in a local hospital is in dire straits and is unable to meet the medical expenses due to financial constrains.

“Mansoor’s condition deteriorated again on Thursday and the doctors shifted him to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” family sources told Dawn.

They added that the doctors have advised cardiac transplant of the patient.

“We’ve not yet received a single penny from the government or the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and finding it difficult to continue with the treatment,” the sources quoted his family members as saying.

The Sindh Governor Zubair Ahmed also visited the hospital and enquired about the health of the former Olympian goalkeeper and ex-Pakistan captain.

Besides, some former Olympians, internationals, local players and well wishers have visited the hospital as well to enquire about Mansoor’s health. “Customs had a limit of Rs 0.5 million and the hospital expenses have way over crossed that figure already,” the sources added.

Meanwhile, the PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed in a communication to the Sindh secretary for Sports and Youth Affairs, had requested him to sanction a special grant-in-aid of Rs 1.0 million for Mansoor’s treatment.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2018