The story of the former premier Mr. Nawaz Sharif’s treatment is, in fact, an attention-grabbing. We have seen many elite class people as well as officialdoms of Pakistani politics going abroad for medical treatment. Going abroad for the said purpose leaves a twofold enigma. First, they fall ill soon after they are snatched of their powers or have ended their regimes. Isn’t this an inexplicably garbled conundrum? This is the top-notch question that is hinged upon the entire political system in that this is not turned on any single political party’s premiers but rather the question is in the neck of whole political system. Second, why are they recommended for treatment abroad not in Pakistan? This latter part of the twofold question begets few other queries.
Let’s now sparkle more the discussion on the treatment of the foregone government’s premier Mr. Nawaz Sharif Sahib. Aren’t we observing the phenomenon I have said in the initial lines of this write-up mentioning the people fall ill soon after they are done with their tenures or are tossed from their thrones? At first, he got arrested and then he is now ill whose treatment is underway.
A couple of days back, he was shifted under the care of special medical board. The former premier was transferred two weeks ago to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) set up at his Jati Umra residence under the special supervision of Dr. Adnan Khan where doctors were said to have available nights and days. This short story effectuates a big question; why is he transferred to ICU at his residence instead of the hospital wherein he was under treatment? It proves, in my reckoning, the hospitals’ are stripped of the medical facilities. If so, then again another question erects, whose is the responsibility to entrench the hospitals and accommodate the people under treatment? He has been premier three times, still the hospitals are destitute of sufficient facilities, why? From doctors’ side, to the first question of why is he transferred to ICU at his residence, the retort is; Nawaz Sharif is extremely susceptible to Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs).
Let’s visit the next fraction of the prevailing story. Mr. Nawaz has now been convinced by his family to go to London for treatment after he was reluctant to go abroad, as reports show. He is now poised to go to London after the doctors have ensured that they have tried all the medical possibilities existing in Pakistan and, at the present, London is the only option. Each and everything reported generates questions per se. In a similar manner, this statement of the doctors also puts here a question; if the options are over but are available there at London, then why have not these options made available here in Pakistan? Whose is this responsibility?
Mr. Nawaz’s platelet counts have fallen to 24, 000. Thus he needs to go abroad for the treatment. This also raises the question, a person (patient) needs 50, 000 platelet counts or beyond to be declared fit for air travel, how is this possible that he can go for air travel even he has not the required number of platelet counts? On asking this question, his doctors put a brusque rejoinder ahead that they will have to give him (Nawaz) a high dose to upsurge the amount of platelets. Here the words of late Edhi, I have read recently in an article, are worth quoting; “the doctors, lawyers and Mullahs have destroyed Pakistan in a big way”. The farsightedness of Edhi really debunks the statements made by doctors.
The story has not died yet but prevails incessantly. Why do the only officialdoms of the different political parties opt to get treated medically out of bounds? Why is the ICU at Nawaz’ residences entrenched only for him or even his family where the doctors availability is ensured round the clock? Why have not the other options, for which he is being transferred to London, for his treatment made available here in the country even he has been premier for three times? Going abroad for the aforesaid purpose is not the panacea for the health crises but working seriously to overcome these pitfalls is direly needed. Why doesn’t the government feature its attention on the horrendous health related problems? Going abroad for medical check-up is, in truth, the question of contriteness.
Author: Rameez Ali Mahesar
