Body of Pak man who died during treatment in Chennai repatriated to Karachi

Karachi: The body of a 23-year-old Pakistani man, who died during treatment in a hospital in Chennai, was brought to Karachi on Tuesday after his mother appealed to the government for help after the Pahalgam attack.

Syed Aryan Shah, who was suffering from heart and severe lung ailments, had been on life support for respiratory failure at MGM Healthcare hospital in Chennai and died on April 25.

Aryan’s mother had flown with him to Chennai and got him admitted there on February 12.

The Indian government in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people were killed on April 22, had directed all Pakistani nationals, including those having visitor medical visas, to leave the country by April 29.

Aryan’s mother and father (who was in Karachi) appealed to the government to help them clear the medical bills and fly the body back to Pakistan for burial.

“Since the family belongs to Quetta, the Balochistan government contacted the foreign office and we cleared all the medical bills to get release of the body. We have also made all travel arrangements to fly the body back to Karachi,” government spokesperson Shahid Rind said.

According to media reports, Aryan Shah had been suffering from interstitial lung disease and was put on ECMO support for the last 70 days.

ECMO or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a life support system used by hospitals when a patient’s heart and lungs are failing.

After all existing Indian visas issued to Pakistani nationals were revoked, doctors at the hospital had told the mother that they would have to follow government directives but flagged that Aryan would need a life support system on his return journey which could be a perilous one.

Chennai has been a destination for Pakistanis who are looking for advanced tertiary medical care at affordable costs.

A teenaged Pakistani girl last year underwent a heart transplant at the same hospital and the cost of operation for the girl from Karachi was borne by the hospital and an NGO.