Islamabad: Pakistan’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has issued an official statement regarding the medical examination of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, who was brought to the hospital from Adiala Jail during the night between August 20 and 21.
According to the PIMS statement, Imran Khan was transferred to the hospital for a medical examination and treatment. The examination was carried out by a team of doctors, including specialists from both PIMS and Shifa International Hospital.
Two specialists from Shifa International Hospital participated specifically in the examination of Imran Khan’s eyes. PIMS said that its relevant specialists were also involved in conducting the remaining medical examinations.
The hospital administration explained that the medical opinion obtained from the ophthalmological examination was considered alongside the results of other medical investigations. Following the examination and assessment of the available medical information, a medical board comprising doctors from PIMS finalized the medical fitness report.
However, PIMS made it clear that it would not disclose the confidential details of the report. The hospital said this decision was based on the principle of patient confidentiality as well as directions issued by the Supreme Court.
The development comes against the backdrop of a Supreme Court order issued three days earlier. The court had directed that Imran Khan be transferred to Shifa International Hospital for a medical check-up and that a comprehensive medical examination be conducted.
Instead, the government subsequently transferred him to PIMS during the night for medical assessment. Doctors at the government-run hospital examined him before he was taken back to Adiala Jail late at night.
The decision to conduct the examination at PIMS rather than Shifa International Hospital had attracted considerable attention, particularly because the Supreme Court had specifically mentioned Shifa International Hospital in its earlier directions. The participation of two Shifa specialists in the eye examination appears to have been part of the medical assessment carried out at PIMS.
PIMS has nevertheless declined to make the medical findings public, emphasizing that the contents of a patient’s medical report are confidential. This means that the hospital’s statement confirms that examinations were conducted and that a medical fitness report was prepared, but it does not provide the public with the detailed findings, diagnoses, test results or recommendations contained in that report.
The issue has also generated political discussion. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Atta Tarar said on social media that Imran Khan was completely healthy following the medical examination. However, PIMS itself did not publicly disclose the detailed medical findings on which the assessment was based.
The hospital’s position is that the medical board completed its assessment after considering the findings of the different specialists and investigations. The final report was therefore prepared internally, while its confidential contents remain protected.
Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail, has previously been the subject of repeated discussions concerning his health and medical treatment. His medical examinations have consequently become a politically sensitive issue, with his party and government authorities often taking different positions over his health and access to medical facilities.
In the latest development, PIMS has sought to clarify the medical procedure followed during his most recent examination. The hospital confirmed the involvement of two eye specialists from Shifa International Hospital and said PIMS specialists handled the other aspects of the examination.
The statement also indicates that the medical board considered the eye specialists’ opinion together with other medical investigations before reaching its final assessment. Nevertheless, PIMS has refrained from publishing the specific results, citing patient privacy and the Supreme Court’s instructions.
As a result, the publicly available information establishes that Imran Khan underwent a medical examination at PIMS, that two Shifa International specialists participated in examining his eyes, and that a PIMS medical board subsequently finalized a medical fitness report. The detailed contents of that report, however, have not been released.
The episode is likely to remain a subject of political and legal discussion because of the Supreme Court’s earlier direction concerning a medical examination at Shifa International Hospital. For now, PIMS has maintained that it will not disclose confidential medical information, while government officials have publicly described Imran Khan as being in good health.
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