Critically ill Khaleda Zia to be flown to London after midnight or by tomorrow morning
The decision was made following consultations among all members of the medical board, which now includes the recently arrived specialist teams from China and the United Kingdom, says Dr AZM Zahid Hossain.
The medical board treating BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is undergoing treatment at the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, has reached a unanimous decision to immediately transfer her to London for advanced medical care.
The transfer, utilising a Qatari Royal Air Ambulance, is expected to take place either Thursday midnight or Friday morning (5 December), according to Khaleda's personal physician Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain.
Addressing a press briefing outside the hospital this afternoon, Dr Zahid confirmed that the decision for the urgent transfer was made following consultations among all members of the medical board, which now includes the recently arrived specialist teams from China and the United Kingdom, as well as local doctors.
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"The medical board has unanimously decided that she will be taken to London via the Qatar Royal Air Ambulance, either after midnight tonight or early tomorrow morning," said Dr Zahid, also a member of the BNP's Standing Committee.
However, he did not specify the exact hospital in London to which the former prime minister will be admitted. He added that the travel will be overseen by aeronautical physicians.
Dr Zahid also took the moment to thank all well-wishers and urged the nation to pray as the critically ill BNP chief undertakes the risky international journey.
In response to a query by a journalist, Dr Zahid did not explicitly comment on the current health condition of Khaleda Zia.
The news of the scheduled transfer coincides with reports that the Zia family is preparing to take Khaleda abroad, and Dr Zubaida Rahman, wife of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and a member of Khaleda's medical board, is expected to arrive in Dhaka from London soon, reports BBC Bangla.
She is expected to assess Khaleda's physical status before possibly accompanying her on the flight, it said, citing multiple high-level sources within the BNP.
Khaleda, 79, has been in the hospital's CCU since 27 November, battling severe infections of the lungs and heart, complicated by chronic kidney and cardiac issues.
The interim government has already offered all kinds of support for her transfer abroad for advanced medical care.
The BNP and the government have both called for nationwide prayers tomorrow for her recovery.
The push for medical transfer gained momentum today (4 December) after the Qatar government announced its readiness to provide an air ambulance for the former prime minister's travel abroad, responding to a request from the BNP.
