New Medical Board Examines PTI Founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on IHC Orders

RAWALPINDI: A newly constituted five-member medical board, along with supporting staff, conducted a comprehensive medical examination of imprisoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, in compliance with directives issued by the Islamabad High Court.

It is pertinent to mention here that the jailed PTI founder has been diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), a serious eye condition, according to a report submitted to the Supreme Court by his lawyer and the court's amicus curiae, Salman Safdar.

The condition occurs when the main vein draining blood from the retina becomes blocked and is often associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.

According to reports, the medical team, comprising five doctors and supporting medical staff, completed a thorough two-hour assessment during which they examined the PTI founder's affected eye.

In a statement, the jail administration said that the Islamabad chief commissioner had formed a new medical board comprising specialist doctors for the health assessment of the jailed former prime minister.

The team includes ENT specialist Professor Altaf Hussain, cardiologist Professor Akhtar Ali Bandesha, Dr Muhammad Ali Arif, and Professor Nadeem Qureshi from Al-Shifa Eye Hospital.

The medical board will submit a comprehensive report to the chief commissioner shortly, the statement concluded.

Last week, the IHC directed the capital city's chief commissioner to constitute a medical board to assess the health condition of ex-PM Khan, while rejecting a petition seeking his transfer to a private hospital.

The petition had requested Khan's transfer to Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, for eye treatment and was heard by a division bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro.

In a three-page order, the court instructed the medical board to submit its recommendations to the chief commissioner at the earliest.

Based on the board's report, the chief commissioner will decide, under the law and relevant prison rules, whether Khan should be shifted outside prison or continue treatment in jail. The bench emphasised that prison authorities must inform relatives if a serious medical condition arises.