Egypt's former president demands medical attention during court appearance

Deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi called on authorities to give him access to medical care during a court appearance on Friday.

Morsi, who has been in jail since he was overthrown in a coup in 2013, demanded that he be admitted to a private hospital at his expense to do the necessary medical examinations, reported Arabic media.

The court reportedly refused his request because Morsi had previously refused to sign the prison doctor's medical report, an allegation Morsi challenged. 

"My health condition is in critical condition and deteriorating day after day," Morsi said in court, reported Arabi21.

"I demand a medical examination at my own expense and under the supervision of specialised doctors. I want to be admitted immediately a private hospital," Morsi said.

On Thursday, Morsi's eldest son, Ahmed, said that the Egyptian prison officials "insist on not providing my father - who has remained in prison for four-and-a-half years - with needed medical care despite his deteriorating health," reported the Anadolu Agency. 

Morsi's youngest son, Abdullah, has called on the authorities to transfer his 66-year-old father to a private hospital so that he might undergo surgery for an eye problem caused by diabetes.

At a Wednesday court hearing, a judge ordered that Morsi undergo a medical examination to be carried out at his own expense.

Morsi is serving a 20-year jail sentence for "killing protesters" in 2013.

In June, Morsi's lawyer and family say, he told them he experienced two diabetic comas and did not receive proper treatment in prison. He demanded to be moved to a private hospital at his own expense.

Sources at Egypt's prison authority confirmed Morsi experienced a diabetic coma in June but denied he was being mistreated. They said that he received the required treatment. 

His lawyer said at the time that Morsi's life was in danger because of his deteriorating health and lack of treatment.

The former president faces a raft of additional charges, ranging from "jailbreak" to "espionage".

Morsi, along with a host of co-defendants, has consistently denied the charges against him, while many independent observers say the accusations are politically motivated.

A leader of Egypt’s now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group, Morsi became the country's first-ever freely-elected president in mid-2012.

One year later, he was ousted by Egypt's military, which killed hundreds of his supporters and threw tens of thousands behind bars.