BNP Chairperson and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia’s health has shown slight improvement, and the medical board treating her believes she could recover in Bangladesh with proper care, a doctor involved in her treatment said on Sunday.
The medical board member wishing to be anonymous, said: “Madam is better than before. We are trying our best to treat her here. We believe she can recover with treatment in the country. She has been in more critical condition before and still recovered. It may not be necessary to take her to London.”
The doctor added that several of Khaleda’s health parameters are improving. “CT scans, ECG and a few other tests were done on Sunday, and the results came back better,” he said.
When asked about her stay in the Critical Care Unit (CCU), he said it would depend on her physical progress. “Local and foreign doctors are ensuring the best treatment. Her daughter-in-law, Dr Zubaida Rahman, is coordinating treatment at her bedside. She will stay in Bangladesh for several more days.”
He also noted that Khaleda tries to speak occasionally with her family members. “Her younger brother, his wife, and her two daughters-in-law have been constantly by her side.”
Meanwhile, BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Dr Enamul Haque Chowdhury said on Sunday night that Khaleda will be taken to London as soon as the medical board finalizes its decision. “The Qatar government will arrange an air ambulance whenever needed. This is not a problem. We are waiting for the board’s decision. With everyone’s prayers, we hope she will overcome this. If the board decides, she will be taken to London for advanced treatment. The hospital in London will be chosen later,” he said.
Last Thursday, the medical board had advised that she should be taken to the UK for advanced treatment. It was initially planned, as in January, for her to be flown on a special air ambulance provided by the Emir of Qatar, expected to depart Friday morning.
However, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Friday that the air ambulance could not arrive due to technical issues. According to him, it was expected to reach Dhaka on Saturday, but it did not arrive on Sunday either, and its arrival remains uncertain.
Dr Zubaida Rahman, wife of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, visited Evercare Hospital on Sunday afternoon to see Khaleda Zia. A member of Khaleda’s medical board, she arrived in Dhaka on Friday morning via Biman Bangladesh Airlines and has been closely monitoring her mother-in-law’s condition. Even when at her Dhanmondi residence, she receives regular updates over the phone, according to Atiqur Rahman Rumon of the BNP Media Cell.
Khaleda Zia has been receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital since November 23 and was moved to the CCU on November 27 with multiple health complications. Her treatment is being supervised by a medical board led by cardiologist Professor Shahabuddin Talukder, which includes doctors from Evercare Hospital as well as specialists from the UK, USA, and China.
