LAHORE - Following drop in the platelets count of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the doctors on Sunday discontinued blood thinning medicines.
The Special Medical Board governing his treatment had started giving blood thinning medicines after the ex-PM suffered minor heart attack. The medication, however, led to drop in the platelets count from 45,000 the other day to just 25,000 on Sunday.
After stopping the use of blood thinning medicines, the board decided to continue treatment of immune thrombocytopenia purpara (ITP) with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) injections.
Shamim Begum (Nawaz’s mother), Kausar Bibi (Nawaz’s sister) and Junaid Safdar(Maryam’s son) visited Services Hospital on Sunday and inquired after the ailing ex-PM. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb also visited the health facility.
Doctors were expecting the platelets count of Nawaz Sharif to reach normal level within days but the drop resurfaced due to use of Loprin and other blood thinning medicines that are given in cardiac ailment.
Contradicting reports of shifting the former premier to a private health facility, Prof Mahmood Ayyaz, head of the board and Principal of Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS), said that the treatment would continue at the Services Hospital.
It will be inappropriate to shift him to somewhere else as doctors at Services Hospital are better aware about his condition and are giving him right treatment, he said.
“Doctors at some other health facility will need some time [to study and understand the case]. Moreover, the patient has not yet expressed a desire to be shifted anywhere else.”
Ayyaz said the board has revisited prescribed medicines after drop in the platelets count after blood thinning medicines led to drop in platelets count. He said that course of 60 injections of IVIG would be completed on Monday (today).
He said that cardiologists from Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) would perform duties during the night for keeping a close eye on Nawaz Sharif’s heart ailment. Batch of two Senior Registrars will remain present during the night and the process would continue till November 2, he added.
Dr Arshad and Dr Amer Jamil will look after Nawaz Sharif on Friday, Dr Nadeem Naseem and Kaleem Ullah Ch on Saturday, Dr Rasheed and Dr Zahid Shaheen on Sunday, Dr Zameerul Asar and Dr Adnan Makhdoom on Monday, Dr Ghalib and Dr Naveed on Tuesday, Dr Zohaib Sadiq and Dr Ali Hameed on Wednesday while Dr Hamad and Dr Imran saleem will perform duties on Thursday.
