President recovering well, says physician

KARACHI:

President Asif Ali Zardari's personal physician Dr Asim Hussain said on Saturday that the president is recovering well and is expected to be discharged from the hospital within a day or two.

Addressing a news conference at Ziauddin Hospital in Clifton, Karachi, Dr Hussain strongly refuted reports circulating on Indian news channels and social media regarding the president's health, calling the images "doctored" and the news "entirely baseless".

"I regret to say that false and misleading information about the president's condition is being spread by Indian media and certain social media accounts," Dr Hussain said.

The physician revealed that President Zardari had traveled from Islamabad to Nawabshah last weekend, while he had returned to Karachi.

"I received a call from the president on Eid day saying he was feeling unwell. Later that evening, he called again and complained of cold and fever. I reached Nawabshah that night, but the [health] facilities there were limited. On Monday, we shifted the president to Karachi and admitted him to the hospital for [medical] tests," he explained.

Subsequently, the medical tests confirmed that President Zardari had contracted Covid-19.

"Now the president is feeling much better. He will be relieved from the hospital tomorrow or day after," Dr Hussain said, adding that he is under the care of a senior medical team.

The president's personal physician noted that Covid-19 was still present in Pakistan, but now they had access to effective antiviral medications. "Despite what political opponents say, and regardless of India's hostile stance, the fabricated content on social media does not reflect reality."

Dr Hussain also revealed that the president deals with blood pressure issues and diabetes.

"Whether or not President Zardari releases his video from the hospital is a political decision. The videos circulating on social media are completely fake," the physician said.