Khaleda’s illness: DMCH medical team yet to file report

The medical board formed to check on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s ailments have not submitted its report yet, Dr Md Shah Alam of Dhaka Medical College Hospital said.

The DMCH deputy director, during a media briefing on Monday, said: “The medical team has not submitted any report yet. We do not know about her health condition, whether she needs to get tested or not.”

Dr Alam added that the reports of medical tests will be handed directly to the jail authorities as Khaleda was not a patient admitted at DMCH. “You can collect the information from them,” he told reporters.

The medical board was formed on Saturday amid concerns of BNP that its chief Khaleda was physically vulnerable behind bars.

Prof Shamsuzzaman, head of orthopaedics at DMCH, is leading the board. Dr Monsur Habib (neurology), Titu Mia (medicine) and Soheli Rahman (physical medicine) are other members.

“She is under treatment and taking the necessary medicine. We added some new medicine and suggested new tests after checking her today,” Prof Shamsuzzaman had told bdnews24.com on Sunday.

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When asked what particular ailments Khaleda was suffering from, the physician said: “It is a private matter. It is not ethically correct to disclose it.”

The 73-year-old former prime minister has ailments related to heart, eyes and knees; she need to take prescribed medicines regularly, her personal physicians had said.

The medical board will submit its report and recommendations to the jail authorities on Monday, according to Brig Gen AKM Nasir Uddin, director at DMCH.

Uddin was due to brief the media on Khaleda’s health on Monday. Dr Shah Alam filled in instead of Nasir Uddin at the briefing, which began a half hour late.

A special trial court ordered a five-year jail sentence for Khaleda on Feb 8 after finding her guilty in a graft case involving Zia Orphanage Trust. Since then, the BNP chairperson has been behind bars in Old Dhaka.

A High Court order granting bail to her for four months was stayed by the Appellate Division on petitions by the state and the Anti-Corruption Commission, the plaintiff of the case.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was due to meet Khaleda on Mar 29 but the meeting was cancelled after Khaleda fell ill in jail, according to the BNP.

Citing concern over the health of Khaleda Zia, the BNP demanded her unconditional release from jail.

“We are anxious over her health. We urge the government to release her immediately so that we can arrange necessary medical tests and treatments by her personal physicians,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said at a media briefing in Dhaka on Friday.

The jail authorities are yet to make any comment on Khaleda’s illness to reporters.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader told reporters on Saturday that the BNP chief’s condition has been unchanged.