Bangladesh’s ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who has been battling multiple severe health complications, is showing signs of “response” to treatment, though doctors say it is still too early to decide whether she will be taken abroad for advanced medical care. Her personal physician, AZM Zahid Hossain, provided the update on Wednesday outside Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital, where Zia has been admitted since November 23.
Hossain, who is also a senior member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s standing committee, described her condition as “critically ill” and said she is receiving every form of treatment that such a condition requires. He noted that, similar to previous episodes of deterioration, she is responding to the interventions being administered. Foreign doctors are consulting with the medical board, and crucial decisions are being made during late-night sessions.
The 80-year-old BNP chairperson and three-time prime minister is currently being cared for inside the hospital’s intensive care unit. However, despite ongoing public speculation, Hossain urged patience regarding the possibility of flying her overseas. He stressed that discussions are ongoing, but no definitive decision or timeline has been finalised for an international medical transfer.
Her treatment is being overseen by a large, multi-specialty medical board led by cardiologist Shahabuddin Talukder and comprising experts from Bangladesh, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. Zia’s daughter-in-law, Dr Zubaida Rahman, who returned to Dhaka from London on December 5, has been participating directly in the board’s meetings.
Zia previously travelled to London in January for medical care, making the journey aboard an air ambulance provided from the personal fleet of the Emir of Qatar.
