Decision on Khaleda’s foreign trip for treatment after government approval: doctor

The medical board treating Khaleda Zia for COVID-19 will decide on her better treatment abroad once the government approves the BNP chief’s foreign trip, one of her personal physicians has said.

Professor AZM Zahid Hossain told reporters outside Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on Friday night that the former prime minister was in a “stable condition”.     

“It depends on the government when they will allow her to travel abroad. The hospital’s medical board will take the next decision once we get the approval,” he said, asked whether her health will allow her to fly now. 

A 10-strong team of doctors, led by cardiologist Dr Shahabuddin Talukder, are overseeing Khaleda’s treatment at the hospital.

Zahid said the doctors decided to keep the course of her treatment unchanged after checking her on Friday.

The 76-year-old has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital since Apr 27 after she tested positive for the coronavirus on Apr 11. She has underlying health conditions.

On May 3, she was transferred to the Coronary Care Unit after she had complained of breathing distress.

Later, her family appealed to the government to let her get treatment abroad following doctors’ advice.

Law Minister Anisul Huq said they were looking “with compassion” for options to relax the conditions of her suspended sentence.

She has also applied for renewal of her passport. Her family members are expected to apply for visa once they get the renewed passport.

Government ministers and officials could not say which foreign country Khaleda’s family chose for her treatment as it was not mentioned in the appeal.

Khaleda had been living in her Gulshan residence since the government granted her a suspended sentence in March 2020.

She had served 25 months out of 17 years of prison sentences in two corruption cases, involving the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust.

The government imposed two conditions on the suspended sentence: Khaleda will not be able to travel abroad and she must receive treatment at home.