Medical board checking Khaleda’s fitness for overseas treatment

The medical board at Evercare Hospital is assessing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s physical capability for sending her abroad for treatment as soon as possible.

Khaleda’s personal physician, Professor AZM Zahid Hossain, made the remark while addressing a press briefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on Thursday.

“Madam (Khaleda) has spent a total of 479 days at Evercare Hospital over the past four and a half years. We released her on August 21 to return home, but she was readmitted early Thursday,” he said.

The BNP leader addressed public concerns about why Khaleda Zia has not yet been sent abroad. “Transporting someone abroad requires physical stability, including the ability to endure negative pressure during flights,” he explained.

Professor Zahid noted that the medical board is evaluating these factors, including her capacity to handle negative pressure during landing.

“This is not merely a matter of storytelling but involves academic, professional, and scientific considerations. The board, with both local and international members, is discussing these issues and will make a decision to send her to an advanced medical center abroad as soon as she is physically fit,” he added.

He emphasised the need for advanced medical care abroad due to some critical conditions that can only be effectively addressed at modern facilities with expert opinions.

Professor Zahid requested everyone to pray for Khaleda Zia’s recovery and noted that she has asked the nation for prayers for her well-being.

He also mentioned that Khaleda Zia did not receive proper treatment during her solitary confinement, which has contributed to her current health condition.

Khaleda Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital in the early hours of Thursday.

She has been kept in a private cabin following her admission at the hospital.

Earlier, on 21 August, Khaleda Zia returned home after a 45-day treatment at Evercare Hospital.

On 8 July, Khaleda Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital in the capital six days after she had been discharged from the same hospital with various ailments.

A group of specialist doctors, led by Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, successfully installed the pacemaker in Khaleda Zia’s chest on 23 June.

Khaleda has long been battling various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and issues related to the kidney, lung, heart, and eyes.

The BNP chief’s doctors have been recommending sending her abroad since she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in November 2021.

On October 26 last year, three US specialist doctors completed the hepatic procedure known as the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS procedure) to stop water accretion in Khaleda Zia’s stomach and chest, and bleeding in her liver.

She was placed in Old Dhaka Central Jail on 8 February 2018, after a special court sentenced her to five years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. On 30 October 2018, the High Court raised her punishment to 10 years. Later, she was convicted in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government temporarily freed Khaleda Zia from jail after 776 days through an executive order suspending her sentence on 25 March 2020, with conditions that she would stay in her Gulshan house and not leave the country.

On 6 August, Khaleda Zia was completely freed by an order of President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

The president passed the order under Article 49 of the Bangladesh Constitution, according to a gazette issued by the home ministry on 6 August.

Article 49 states that “The president shall have power to grant pardons, reprieves, and respites and to remit, suspend, or commute any sentence passed by any court, tribunal, or other authority.”