BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who has been undergoing treatment at the CCU of Evercare Hospital in the capital for the past 12 days, is being taken to London for advanced medical treatment.
According to her personal physician AZM Zahid Hossain, a Qatar-sent air ambulance carrying Khaleda Zia is scheduled to depart for London either on midnight, or on Friday morning. Fourteen people, including her personal physicians, will accompany her.
Earlier, the Qatar Embassy in Dhaka said an air ambulance sent by the Ameer of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had been kept ready to transport Khaleda Zia abroad. The flight would depart upon receiving clearance from her medical team.
At a press conference at the BNP’s central office in Naya Paltan the same day, the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, “Begum Khaleda Zia’s physical condition remains unchanged. Her treatment is ongoing.”
Khaleda Zia has long been suffering from arthritis, diabetes, kidney complications, lung issues and eyesight problems. She was released after the fall of the Awami League government during the mass uprising on 5 August last year. She later travelled to London on 7 January this year for advanced treatment and returned to the country on 6 May after a 117-day stay.
The BNP chairperson has since been taken to Evercare Hospital for routine medical check-ups. Most recently, she was admitted on the evening of 23 November, and senior party leaders including standing committee member Dr Zahid Hossain have said she has been in a critical condition since.
Meanwhile, since Khaleda Zia was declared a “Very Very Important Person” by the state, members of the SSF and PGR have been deployed to secure the Evercare Hospital area.
The Chief Adviser’s Office said that, as part of the SSF security protocol, helicopters of the Bangladesh Army and Air Force would conduct trial landings and take-offs on Thursday [4 December] between 12pm and 4pm at two open fields near Evercare Hospital. The office urged the public not to spread or be influenced by misinformation regarding these movements.
