Why was Imran Khan's heart test not done? PTI questions hospital decision, inquiry ordered

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's party has condemned what it called the "continued failure" of authorities at a state-run hospital after the CT Coronary Angiography (CTA) was not conducted on him despite cardiologists complaining about potential risks of cardiac complications.

PTI raises concerns over missed heart test

In a statement on Sunday, Central Secretary Information of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Sheikh Waqas Akram, said the authorities had failed to provide 73-year-old Khan with a medically recommended diagnostic test despite the availability of a functional CT scanner at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Dawn newspaper reported.

Khan was taken to PIMS on Friday for an eye procedure and other diagnostic examinations. Doctors reportedly recommended a CTA of the heart, but hospital officials said the required facility was unavailable. He was subsequently returned to Adiala jail without undergoing the test.

The party condemned what it called the "continued failure" of authorities and demanded that the test should be immediately conducted at Shifa International Hospital.

"...This cannot be dismissed as an isolated administrative lapse; it reflects a deeply troubling pattern,” Akram said.

He said the required specialist facilities were available at Shifa International Hospital.

Party questions decision to send Khan to PIMS

Akram also referred to a Supreme Court order concerning Khan's comprehensive medical examination and treatment at Shifa International Hospital, alleging that authorities had bypassed the directive and instead transferred him to a facility where the CT angiography was not performed.

“When the necessary facilities were available at Shifa International, deliberately taking Khan to a hospital unable or unwilling to perform the procedure raises a grave question: was the decision made in advance to prevent the CT Coronary Angiography from being conducted?” he asked.

Akram said a government medical board had examined Khan on August 10 following complaints of heart palpitations and severe headaches.

He said a cardiologist at PIMS had already recommended the CTA on August 1 due to fluctuating blood pressure, restlessness and potential risks of cardiac complications, given Khan’s age and prolonged isolation.

Shehbaz Sharif orders inquiry

Taking notice of the reports, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday formed an inquiry committee, headed by the establishment division secretary, to establish facts and fix responsibility.

On Sunday, Akram reiterated the party's demand to move Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad without any delay — which the Supreme Court had also directed on August 18.

"Even the government’s own doctors considered this diagnostic test necessary,” Akram stated.

He said these reports had “intensified concerns regarding repeated delays and apparent negligence in providing Imran Khan with timely and appropriate medical care”.

Akram rejected the government’s assertions that Khan had been receiving adequate medical care.

Regarding the prime minister’s decision to constitute an inquiry committee following reports of the failure to conduct Imran’s CTA, he said the move raised “serious questions as to why the medically recommended test was not conducted in the first instance. Why coordination between the cardiology and radiology departments had failed, and why Imran Khan was not taken to Shifa International despite the availability of the required facilities there”.

PTI seeks medical records

Akram also called for the “prompt disclosure of his (Khan’s) complete medical records, reports and diagnostic results to his family, personal doctors and legal team”.

"Imran Khan’s heart health cannot be subjected to political calculations, administrative excuses or further delay,” Akram declared.

"Political victimisation must never be permitted to endanger a human life through the denial or postponement of essential medical care. The decision to take him to a facility where the required test was not conducted, despite the availability of the necessary facilities at Shifa International, has created serious concerns that the procedure was intentionally prevented,” he alleged.

"The government and all relevant authorities will bear full responsibility for any further deterioration in his condition,” Akram warned.

Imran Khan remains in Adiala Jail

Khan was arrested on August 5, 2023, in a corruption case and has remained in custody since then. He has been lodged in Adiala Jail, a detention facility on the outskirts of Rawalpindi.

The PTI founder's relatives and supporters have repeatedly alleged human rights violations, and accused the authorities of restricting his access to adequate medical care, family visits and legal counsel.