BNP Chairperson and former three-time prime minister Khaleda Zia is on ventilator support. Several sources in the government confirmed TIMES of Bangladesh on condition of anonymity.
BNP Vice Chairman Ahmed Azam Khan said that Khaleda Zia, who is undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, is in a “very critical” condition.
Since Sunday night, Khaleda Zia has been in a very critical condition, he told the journalists in front of the hospital on Monday afternoon.
He said, “She is fighting to return among everyone. Her condition is still critical. She has not yet reached a state where anything more can be said. There is nothing to say except to ask the entire nation for prayers.”
He added, “Khaleda Zia is currently on ventilator support. From CCU to ICU, and then ventilator or life support — you (reporters) may call it whatever you like.”
Noting that doctors from the UK and the US had already been involved in her treatment, he said that doctors from China have now also joined. “They are all making tireless efforts together. The rest is in Allah’s hands,” he said.
However, TIMES could not independently verify this information. Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel, former personal assistant and deputy press secretary to the BNP chairperson, also posted this development in his personal Facebook post.
Khaleda Zia remains in critical condition at Evercare Hospital in the capital, deepening concern and anxiety across the country.
‘Doctors doing their utmost’
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has confirmed that party chairperson Khaleda Zia is receiving treatment with the support of both domestic and international doctors.
He made the remarks on Monday morning at the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan during a media briefing after the induction ceremony of Dr Reza Kibria into the party.
“Madam is unwell, and our doctors are doing their utmost. We have engaged both local and foreign specialists in her treatment. The entire nation prays for her recovery, and we hope she returns to full health soon,” Fakhrul said.
Khaleda Zia has been admitted to Evercare Hospital since 23 November. Following examinations, doctors detected an infection in her lungs, prompting concerns over her critical condition. Since Thursday, she has been receiving intensive care in the hospital’s Critical Care Unit (CCU).
A medical board, led by specialist Professor Shahabuddin Talukder, is overseeing her treatment. The board includes both domestic and international experts, including Dr Zubaida Rahman, spouse of BNP leader Tarique Rahman, as well as physicians from Johns Hopkins University in the US and London Clinic in the UK.
Tarique Rahman, from London, remains in constant communication with the medical board and coordinates with both local and foreign doctors to ensure continuous care for his mother.
In 2018, the Awami League government imprisoned her after she was convicted of corruption involving Tk2 crore.
Kept in the damp old jail, Khaleda Zia’s health deteriorated rapidly, and although specialists repeatedly recommended advanced treatment abroad, the then government rejected multiple applications from her family.
During the Covid-19 outbreak, the government suspended her sentence for six months on 25 March 2020, placing her under conditional release at a rented house in Gulshan. She was restricted to hospital and home.
Her health took several critical turns in the following years, requiring repeated hospital admissions.
After the fall of the Awami League regime on 5 August last year, President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered Khaleda Zia’s release on 6 August.
Now aged 81, Khaleda Zia has long been suffering from liver cirrhosis, kidney disease, heart complications, diabetes and arthritis.
On 8 January, she travelled to London for advanced treatment under specialists Professor Patrick Kennedy and Professor Jennifer Cross at the London Clinic, returning to Dhaka on 6 May after four months.
Since then, she has undergone multiple check-ups at Evercare Hospital as part of routine medical follow-up.
Party leaders, activists distressed
Her deteriorating health has distressed party leaders and activists, prompting BNP to cancel its previously announced “victory torch roadshow” planned to mark the month of victory.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi conveyed the decision at a briefing at the party’s central office in Nayapaltan on Sunday.
“Khaleda Zia’s physical condition has not improved. She remains in the same critical state,” he said.
Rizvi added that there has been no change in her condition. “The medical board has not yet given any advice regarding her treatment abroad. No decision can be made on this matter without the board’s recommendation,” he said.
