Govt denied Khaleda access to medical care for three months: BNP

BNP chief Khaleda Zia has not received medical care for the last three months, her party leaders have alleged.

The former prime minister has been jailed for graft for more than one year.

Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Alam said Khaleda was not provided medical care since her last visit to the hospital in October.    

“A medical board came to check her health on Sunday, following a court order, after a three-month gap. Due to this negligence, her health is now in critical condition, Fakhrul said.

“The board was astonished to find that she was not given any treatment. That she had no check-ups, including blood and sugar tests and x-ray done for a long time,” he said.

Khaleda is the only prisoner at an old jailhouse, which once housed the Dhaka Central Jail in Old Dhaka.

She was taken to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University or BSMMU twice during her year-long jail term for corruption.

She was taken to the hospital for the first time on April in 2018. Second time, she received treatment from the hospital between 0ct 6 to Oct 8.

“Our leader (Khaleda) is suffering from many serious illnesses. She is in her 70s. If the diseases are not monitored regularly, she might face a serious threat,” he said.

Fakhrul claimed the government was conspiring to end Khaleda’s life by denying her proper treatment.

The government will have to shoulder all responsibilities if anything bad happens to Khaleda, he said.

The BNP is ready to bear the expenditure for Khaleda’s treatment, he added.