LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s kidney function has deteriorated, said his daughter Maryam Nawaz after meeting him at Kot Lakhpat jail on Saturday.

She said Mr Sharif’s condition was “serious”.

“Just got back after meeting MNS [Mian Nawaz Sharif]. His doctor’s concern was not unfounded. The blood tests done yesterday reveal a further raise in his CREATININE levels which means his kidney function has deteriorated. His kidney disease is already at stage 3. The pain in the flanks persists,” she said in a tweet.

In view of deterioration of Mr Sharif’s renal function, the authorities were arranging for a specialist to examine/evaluate him at the jail, Ms Nawaz said.

“Presence of MNS’s personal physician during the examination is vital. A written request to the Home Office in this regard has been dispatched,” she said.

On Ms Nawaz’s arrival at the jail, charged Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers raised slogans in favour of their leadership and against Prime Minister Imran Khan and Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid.

The activists halted a train engine for a while on the railway track near the prison and a couple of them climbed on the engine to hoist the party flag. Police personnel present there did not interfere.

On Friday the Punjab government granted permission to Maryam Nawaz to visit her ailing father in the prison on Saturday after she threatened that she would continue to “stand outside Kot Lakhpat Jail” if she and her father’s physician were not allowed to see him.

Mr Sharif’s personal physician, Dr Adnan Khan, on Saturday called for “aggressive management” of Mr Sharif’s disease.

“Former PM Sharif has Chronic Kidney Disease (Stage 3). Any rise in Serum Creatinine needs aggressive management & further assessment to arrest the decline in renal functions. Already Significant Heart Disease could further worsen with deteriorating renal parameters,” he tweeted.

Dr Khan also said that Nawaz Sharif had dull pain in flanks. “He has underlying chronic kidney disease (Stage-III) and nephrolithiasis besides significant heart disease. Jail authorities are requested to get complete renal profile and ultrasound KUB done to assess renal status,” Dr Khan said.

Nawaz Sharif is undergoing seven-year imprisonment in the Al-Azizia Mills corruption case. The government claims that he is not ready to be treated in any hospital in the country as he wants to go to London for treatment. The PML-N has accused the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government of indulging in politics over Mr Sharif’s health.

The former premier spent around 10 days in Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, last month. He refused to get further treatment at the hospital after the Islamabad High Court rejected his petition seeking suspension of his sentence in the Al-Azizia reference on medical grounds.

Earlier, Dr Adnan Khan said Mr Sharif was diagnosed with significant heart disease after undergoing cardiac perfusion scan’ on Jan 22. “Subsequent special medical boards endorsed the same but no definite treatment has been carried out. The health & life remains at risk ...,” he said in a tweet.

The (fifth) five-member special medical board of the Jinnah Hospital in its report to the government late last month said: “The patient (Sharif), 69, needs cardiac catherterisation, for further management, in view of his symptoms of angina. Because of long standing history of comborbities and complicated cardiac surgical history, a nephrologist and cardiac surgical back up is recommended during the cath.”

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2019