The Aporia · Pims says its CT machine 'remains functional' following reports of failure to conduct Imran's heart scan

Pims says its CT machine 'remains functional' following reports of failure to conduct Imran's heart scan

Read the original at Dawn ↗

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APA MLA Chicago

Junaidi, I. (2026, August 25). Pims says its CT machine 'remains functional' following reports of failure to conduct Imran's heart scan. Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/2025207/pims-says-its-ct-machine-remains-functional-following-reports-of-failure-to-conduct-imrans-heart-scan

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has issued a statement saying its CT machine is functioning properly and can conduct diagnostic tests, including a CT coronary angiography that Imran Khan's doctors had recommended for him. Pims administration claimed that they follow clinical assessment and medical protocols in deciding which imaging procedures to use. Despite this, around a dozen CTAs have reportedly been conducted since the controversy emerged. PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram alleged that hospital officials at Pims claimed the required facility was unavailable when Imran Khan visited the hospital last week.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-08-25, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Here is a summary of the news story:

Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and leader of the opposition party PTI, has been involved in a long-running battle over his health and treatment while in prison. In August 2023, he was convicted on corruption charges and imprisoned, but his party claims they are politically motivated.

Recently, the Supreme Court ordered that Khan be transferred to a private hospital for medical examination due to concerns about his deteriorating health. Khan's party had been demanding this transfer for months. A team of doctors at Shifa International Hospital examined him and deemed him "medically fit", but he was subsequently sent back to prison.

Khan's family and supporters have raised concerns about the lack of proper medical care in prison, with his sister, Dr Uzma Khan, and personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, being part of a medical board overseeing his treatment. The Supreme Court has also allowed Khan to meet with his family and speak with his sons who live abroad.

Khan's party, PTI, has condemned the government for failing to provide proper medical care and facilities, including a CT scan, during his hospital visit. The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has denied reports that their CT machine was not functional, but Khan's party claims this is an attempt to cover up the issue.

The story matters because it highlights concerns about the treatment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the government's handling of his health while in prison. The Supreme Court's orders and Khan's party's demands have put pressure on the government to provide proper medical care, but the situation remains contentious.

Written for “Imran Khan Health Crisis” on 2026-10-16, grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans right and hedges 14% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Imran Khan’s party PTI demands immediate cardiac care for him at Shifa International Hospital same event · 100%

The Hindu

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 26 📰 publisher trust 60

“Both articles report on the same incident involving Imran Khan being denied a CT coronary angiography (CTA) at Pims hospital, with Article A mentioning it happened on August 23 and Article B implying it occurred last week.”

Imran's hospital visit: Ex-PM's sister again moves SC for early hearing of contempt plea against govt different event · 90%

Dawn

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 21% hedged 5 of 24 📰 publisher trust 71

“Article A describes Imran Khan's visit to Pims for a heart scan, while Article B discusses his transfer to Shifa International Hospital and a contempt plea against the government”

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

14%

2 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

Leans right

of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate

Publisher signals

71/100

Dawn's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Health

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-08-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Dawn · 1773 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)

2026-10-07

POLICY: THE ISLAMIC DEBATE OVER CRYPTO

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Who wrote this

Ikram Junaidi

24 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 It announced that it would challenge governor’s rule through the courts, assemblies and public forums.

2026-10-11 · assertive framing · TTAP condemns imposition of governor’s rule, emergency in KP, calls move 'unconstitutional'

🔮 PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the government could not simultaneously call for negotiations and “allow its cronies” to appear before the media every day to “spew venom” against PTI leadership and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

2026-10-09 · mixed framing · Govt, PTI trade barbs over KP governance issues

🔮 In a notification dated Oct 5, the PMDC cited “unavoidable circumstances” for the move and said Step-1 of the NRE exam will now be held on Nov 8 (Sunday).

2026-10-07 · assertive framing · PMDC reschedules NRE Step-1 for foreign medical graduates to Nov 8

🔮 Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) is on the verge of another crisis as supplies of free medicines for inpatients and other items might be discontinued due to procurement issues.

2026-10-07 · assertive framing · Another crisis creeps up at Pims

🔮 However, the march was postponed to Oct 4 and as per the current itinerary, the protesters aim to reach a Khairabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Oct 8, when KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi would share the future plan of action.

2026-10-06 · assertive framing · PTI says Imran's cousin Qasim Zaman taken into custody after Rawalpindi DC orders detention under MPO

🔮 “The officer will be entitled to draw additional remuneration as admissible under the rules.

2026-10-06 · assertive framing · Pims gets new executive director and joint executive director, notifications raise eyebrows

🔮 Pakistani students intending to go abroad for medical or dental education will no longer be required to have passed the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) announced on Monday.

2026-10-05 · assertive framing · Students pursuing medical, dental studies abroad no longer required to pass MDCAT

🔮 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Friday that the PTI’s long march towards Islamabad, which was originally scheduled for Sept 27, would now commence from Peshawar on Oct 4.

2026-09-25 · assertive framing · PTI postpones Islamabad long march to Oct 4

🔮 Speaking to Dawn, a senior PTI leader, who requested anonymity, said that the march would now leave from Peshawar on Oct 4.

2026-09-25 · assertive framing · PTI considering postponing Sept 27 Islamabad long march

🔮 According to a senior leader, who requested anonymity, the march will now leave from Peshawar on Oct 4.

2026-09-25 · assertive framing · PTI decides to postpone Sept 27 Islamabad long march

Also by Ikram Junaidi

TTAP condemns imposition of governor’s rule, emergency in KP, calls move 'unconstitutional'

2026-10-11 · Dawn

Govt, PTI trade barbs over KP governance issues

2026-10-09 · Dawn

PMDC reschedules NRE Step-1 for foreign medical graduates to Nov 8

2026-10-07 · Dawn

Another crisis creeps up at Pims

2026-10-07 · Dawn

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 24 articles by Ikram Junaidi →

Topics

Dawn ISLAMABAD PTI Pims the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences

Subjects

Pims ORG · 8× Imran PERSON · 4× PTI ORG · 3× Dawn ORG · 2× ISLAMABAD GPE · 2× Imran Khan PERSON · 1× Shehbaz Sharif PERSON · 1× the Cardiac Centre’s ORG · 1× the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences ORG · 1× the Supreme Court ORG · 1×

Narrative

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram also cited details submitted to the court, saying a medical board constituted by the government had examined Imran on August 10 while a Pims cardiologist had already recommended the test for him on August 1 due to fluctuating blood pressure, palpitations, headaches, restlessness and the potential risk of cardiac complications arising from his age and prolonged isolation. “Even the government’s own doctors considered this diagnostic test necessary,” he said.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-25

🔮 Following reports that jailed PTI founder Imran Khan could not undergo a heart scan during a visit to the hospital last week, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) said on Tuesday that its CT machine “remains functional and continues to support diagnostic services”.

2026-08-25 · Dawn

Pims says its CT machine 'remains functional' following reports of failure to conduct Imran's heart scan · assertive framing

Claims (14 extracted, 2 hedged)

Following reports that jailed PTI founder Imran Khan could not undergo a heart scan during a visit to the hospital last week, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) said on Tuesday that its CT machine “remains functional and continues to support diagnostic services”. uncertain

machine → follow → services

When Imran was brought to Pims last week for an eye procedure and other diagnostic examinations, doctors recommended a CT coronary angiography (CTA), but hospital staff reportedly said the facility was unavailable. uncertain

facility → bring → angiography

After undergoing other tests, he was subsequently shifted back to Adiala Jail without the CTA, which can help detect coronary blockages and assess the risk of a heart attack. asserted

which → undergo → attack

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also took notice of the non-functional CTA facility at Pims and constituted an inquiry committee to determine the facts. asserted

Sharif → take → facts

Sources had earlier told Dawn that the Cardiac Centre’s conventional angiography facility at Pims was different from a CTA. asserted

facility → tell → CTA

While conventional angiography involved inserting a catheter into a blood vessel, a CTA was performed using a CT scanner. asserted

CTA → involve → scanner

In the statement issued on Tuesday, the Pims administration said, “[The] CT machine, installed in 2022, remains functional and continues to support diagnostic services.” asserted

machine → issue → services

It said that “imaging investigations are undertaken regularly on the basis of clinical assessment, specialist advice, patient-safety considerations and prescribed medical protocols”. asserted

investigations → say → assessment

“The use of a particular imaging procedure should be viewed within its clinical context and should not be interpreted unnecessarily,” it said. asserted

it → view → context

A senior doctor at Pims, who wished not to be named, told Dawn that around a dozen CTAs had been conducted before the statement was released. asserted

statement → wish → Dawn

After reports regarding the failure to conduct the test had emerged, the PTI had reiterated its demand to move Imran to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad without any delay — which the Supreme Court had also directed on August 18. asserted

Court → regard → August

he → cite → age

“Yet, when Imran was taken to Pims, the procedure was not performed. asserted

procedure → take → Pims

Hospital officials claimed that the required facility was unavailable, despite the presence of a functional CT scanner in the radiology department capable of conducting the test,” he alleged. asserted

he → claim → test