LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had refused to get examined by any doctor who is a government employee when he was in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), reveals an official.

“In the 10-day custody of NAB in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, Nawaz Sharif refused to get examined by any government doctor, insisting he would only see his personal physician Dr Adnan Khan for the purpose,” the official told Dawn on Tuesday.

The official said three cardiologists, each remaining on duty for eight hours a day, were there to look after Mr Sharif in the NAB custody but they were only allowed by him to check his blood pressure.

“Dr Khan was allowed by NAB to see Mr Sharif thrice – Oct 11, 19 and 21 – before he was shifted to the Services Hospital on Oct 21,” he said, adding Dr Khan had taken Mr Sharif’s blood samples and on the basis of his medical reports (in which Nawaz’s platelet count was shown 16,000) he was shifted to the hospital.

“Before that, Mr Sharif did not allow any of the government doctors to have his blood samples for different tests. Therefore, decline in his health could not be gauged” the official claimed.

The NAB on Tuesday also wrote a letter to Dr Khan, asking him to refrain from spreading “false and incorrect” information regarding Mr Sharif’s stay in the bureau’s custody as it was in violation of the code of ethics of medical practitioners.

The letter said, “During the NAB custody since Oct 11, Mr Sharif was provided with the best medical facilities, including a modern cardiac ambulance with three duty doctors, round-the-clock medical staff under the supervision of a competent doctor and a Rescue ambulance. It is on the record that you (Dr Khan) had never been denied access to Mr Sharif and you met him thrice -- on Oct 11, 19 and 21 -- and examined him, administered him medicines and took blood samples for medical tests.”

The NAB said Mr Sharif was also allowed homemade food from the very first day in the (NAB) custody.

Mr Sharif was shifted to the hospital following Dr Khan raised an alarm that former premier’s condition was serious as his platelets dropped to a critically low level. Initially, Mr Sharif was reluctant to go to hospital. However, he agreed to get treated at the Services Hospital when his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif, who was especially called there, persuaded him.

Meanwhile, Dr Adnan Khan has said that Nawaz Sharif’s condition is still “very serious”. “Mr Sharif is critically unwell and he is fighting the battle for his health and life,” he said in a tweet on Tuesday.

“(Doctors) are in a paradoxical catch-22 situation regarding establishing a definitive diagnosis. Subsequent management poses considerable risk to his fragile and unstable health,” he said and added pending scans/biopsies, diagnostic dilemma still ensued from multiple complex pathologies & co-morbidities. “Thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) & NSTEMI (heart attack) is further complicated by deteriorating kidney functions. Poor blood sugar and blood pressure control is taking its toll,” Dr Khan said.

A medical board treating Mr Sharif says the patient has lost some eight kilogram weight during his week-long treatment. “Simultaneously, Mr Sharif is being treated for low platelets, cardiac, kidney and other complications,” it said. His platelets count on Monday was 28,000. However, the board did not release the latest figure.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2019