The chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and former Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, was transferred to the coronary care unit (CCU) of one of the country's leading private hospitals on Tuesday. This move came a day after her medical team warned of a "high risk of death."
Zia, who is 78 years old, has been placed under house arrest since her conditional release in 2020 from a 17-year prison sentence. Her imprisonment was related to two corruption charges involving the misappropriation of funds from an orphanage named after her late husband, President Zia-ur Rahman. He was a former military ruler turned politician and the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The medical board responsible for her treatment at the Evercare Hospital has determined that Zia cannot receive the necessary medical care within Bangladesh and requires a liver transplant abroad.
Her personal physician, Zahid Hossain, stated that she was moved to the CCU due to fresh complications arising from her health condition. Zia's liver cirrhosis had complicated her heart and kidney conditions, necessitating constant medical monitoring in the CCU.
Zia has been receiving treatment at this private hospital since August 9, where she was initially admitted due to infections and breathing difficulties. A panel of 17 doctors is overseeing her treatment.
On Monday, the medical panel recommended more advanced medical intervention abroad, with a hepatologist familiar with her condition expressing concern about her high risk of death. Professor FM Siddiqui, leading the panel, stated that all options for treatment within Bangladesh had been exhausted.
Information Minister Hassan Mahmud accused the medical panel of being aligned with the BNP and suggested they were speaking as activists of the party. He emphasized the government's willingness to provide Zia with the best medical care and advised the BNP to bring in foreign doctors if necessary.
The BNP had previously demanded permission for Zia to undergo treatment abroad. However, the government rejected the request, asserting that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had used her discretionary powers to release Zia from jail on humanitarian grounds under a special legal provision. This law, however, did not grant the prime minister the authority to send Zia abroad.
Zia's family had applied for permission for her to receive treatment in Germany. Nonetheless, the government insisted that the existing law required her to return to prison first and then obtain a court order to travel abroad.
The political climate in Bangladesh is intensifying as the country prepares for scheduled elections in late December 2023 or early January 2024. The BNP and most opposition groups have raised concerns that elections under the current government will not be free and fair. They are demanding the reinstatement of a non-partisan caretaker government during the election period, while the ruling Awami League has maintained that the polls will proceed as planned.
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