Khaleda hospitalised for thorough health checkup

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, infected with coronavirus, was admitted to Evercare Hospital in the city on Wednesday midnight for a brief period for her thorough health checkup, said her personal medical team head Dr FM Siddiqui.

He, however, said Khaleda's fresh CT scan report suggests that she made a good recovery from Covid-19.

FM Siddiqui said they could not conduct many regular tests of Khaleda for over a year due to the pandemic.

"Since Madam (Khaleda) returned to her residence from BSMMU (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University), she has been kept almost in isolation due to the coronavirus outbreak, and we couldn't do many necessary tests of her. As she has now almost recovered from Covid, we kept her here to conduct her CT scan and thorough health checkup."

"She underwent some tests, including the CT scan, today but many other tests couldn't be done yet as facilities for those aren't available at the hospital at night. She'll undergo many other tests on Thursday. As it's troublesome for her to come to the hospital and return home repeatedly, we got her admitted to the hospital temporarily," the physician said.

On completion of all the tests, he said, they will review the reports and make a decision about her release from the hospital.

FM Siddiqui said they received her fresh report of the chest's CT scan and it is much clearer than the previous one. "It suggests that she has made a good recovery from Covid."

He said the BNP chief may have to stay at the hospital for maximum one or two days. "We'll take a decision about it reviewing all her reports."

The physician also said Khaleda now has no symptom of the coronavirus.

The BNP chief was taken to Evercare Hospital in the city's Bashundhara area around 10pm.

Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and joint secretary general Mahbubuddin Khokon and Khaleda's medical team members met her at her house around 8:30pm.

On April 14, Khaleda was taken to the Evercare Hospital for the CT scan, and later doctors said very nominal infections were found in her lungs.

Khaleda Zia tested positive for Covid-19 test on April 10 as eight people at her residence were infected with the virus. She underwent the second Covid-19 test on April 14 and the report was positive.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda Zia from jail for six months through an executive order suspending her sentences on March 25 last year.

She was released from the prison cell of BSMMU the same day, and she has been staying at her Gulshan house since then.

On August 27 last year, the government extended her release for six more months and it was extended again for six months on March 15 last.

On February 8, 2018, Khaleda was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after a lower court sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The High Court later doubled her jail term.

Khaleda was found guilty in another corruption case the same year. Her party claims both the cases are politically motivated.