Khaleda receiving treatment properly, pay no heed to rumours: Dr Zahid
Khaleda Zia, who has been undergoing treatment at the hospital since 23 November and was moved into CCU on 27 November, will be taken abroad if the necessity arises, says Dr AZM Zahid Hossain.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is accepting the treatment doctors are providing in the coronary care unit (CCU) of Evercare Hospital despite being in a critical condition, her personal physician Dr AZM Zahid Hossain has said.
"As we [doctors] say, she is maintaining the treatment she is receiving," he said while briefing reporters about Khaleda's health in front of the hospital in the capital today (2 December).
Saying much unverified information is making the rounds now, he urged everyone to be patient and not to pay heed to any kind of rumours regarding her physical condition. He added that the party has also made it clear how official information will be communicated.
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"The party's senior joint secretary general, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, will provide updates on matters other than Khaleda Zia's health. I, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, will brief [the media] exclusively on her health. We have requested that no one pay attention to any other briefings."
"We hope she will recover this time around based on the treatment she is receiving and because of the prayers of the whole nation," said Zahid, also a member of the BNP Standing Committee.
Khaleda, who has been undergoing treatment at the hospital since 23 November and was moved into CCU on 27 November, will be taken abroad if the necessity arises, he said.
On taking Khaleda Zia abroad for advanced treatment, Zahid said the members of her medical board are currently examining her.
Today as well, specialist doctors from the UK will come to see her and assess her condition, he added, noting that only after this assessment, if the medical board deems it necessary, will she be taken abroad.
Notably, a five-member high-level medical team from China has already arrived in Dhaka to help with the treatment of Khaleda Zia.
"We have all the preparations in place. At this moment, there is no scope to do anything beyond the patient's current condition and, above all, the medical board's advice," Zahid told the media.
He also appealed to all citizens of Bangladesh to pray for Khaleda Zia's recovery.
Earlier in the day, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support for former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
The government yesterday officially declared the ailing BNP chief a Very Very Important Person (VVIP) under Section 2(a) of the Special Security Force (SSF) Act, 2021. With its notification taking immediate effect, she now qualifies for state-provided close protection by the SSF, the same elite security unit that protects the president and the head of government (prime minister or chief adviser, as applicable).
The former prime minister has long been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and kidney, lung, heart and eye problems.
Khaleda travelled to London on 8 January this year. Upon arrival, she was admitted to the London Clinic, a private hospital, where she remained under the care of renowned specialists Professor Patrick Kennedy and Professor Jennifer Cross for 17 days.
From 25 January, she received treatment at the residence of her elder son, Tarique Rahman.
The BNP chief then returned home on 6 May after four months of treatment in London.
