LAHORE: A fresh medical report on the health of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, filed with the Lahore High Court on Tuesday, reiterates the advice against air travel for the PML-N supremo, saying he might develop serious complications on return to solitary confinement in Pakistan.

“I found Mr Sharif under a lot of stress. If he returns to Pakistan without undergoing a definitive treatment in London, the stress in living again in solitary confinement as well as the loss of a partner, can further compromise his cardiac status before definitive treatment can be rendered,” the report stated. It has been signed by Dr Fayaz Shawl, the director of interventional cardiology at Adventist Healthcare White Oak Medical Centre in Maryland, US.

Fresh medical report placed before LHC says solitary confinement to have negative impact on ex-PM’s health

Mr Sharif’s legal team filed the report with the judicial branch of the high court in compliance with an order passed by the LHC in 2019 allowing the former prime minister to go abroad, initially for four weeks, on medical grounds. The court had directed Nawaz Sharif’s lawyers to keep filing periodical medical reports.

The report, which is dated Jan 28, states that since Mr Sharif has been in London, he has undergone extensive investigations that confirmed he has “significant ischemia in the distribution of his left circumflex artery”.

The doctor further stated he had already opined that Mr Sharif should undergo coronary angiography to assess his coronary anatomy so that appropriate therapeutic modality could be recommended before he returned to Pakistan.

“But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this procedure has been on hold, as are most patients, who are at high risk to contract Covid-19 infection,” he said, adding that Mr Sharif’s co-morbidities made him a “high-risk” candidate for death and respiratory failure if he contracted the virus.

In addition to medical therapy, Sharif has been placed on lifestyle changes to aid his recovery, as he has been advised to have a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and manage his stress as far as possible to avoid what happened during his imprisonment.

According to the report, any solitary confinement for a prolonged period would have negative effects on Nawaz Sharif’s health, both physically and psychologically. While in London during the pandemic, the former PM has been managed medically and is under close surveillance. He has improved somewhat on medical therapy, but more so due to not being in solitary confinement.

“Once the Covid crisis is over, he should proceed with his coronary angiography and possible angioplasty or redo CABGS if intervention is not feasible,” the report suggested.

Until then, it added, Mr Sharif should remain on medical treatment in London under the care of doctors with multiple specialties.

It also reiterated that if the former premier returned to solitary confinement, he might develop “Takotsubo syndrome”, with devastating consequences, due to a “stressful environment”.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2022