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Published : 30 Dec 2025, 09:12 PM
BNP Standing Committee member AZM Zahid Hossain, who served as former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s personal physician, recalls the former prime minister as a leader who combined authority with “motherly affection”.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday afternoon at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, ahead of a meeting of the Standing Committee, Zahid paid tribute to Khaleda.
Khaleda, a three-time prime minister, died at 6am on Tuesday after undergoing treatment for 40 days at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
During her treatment, Zahid regularly briefed the media as a member of the medical board formed to oversee her care.
He said Khaleda was someone who treated those close to her both as a “true guardian” and with deep “maternal care”.
“No one could ever leave her house without eating something,” he said.
“She would always ask whether the doctors had eaten and would instruct what should be served that day.”
He added that Khaleda remained attentive to her doctors at all times.
“If a doctor arrived late even once, she would ask why it took so long and say she had been waiting,” he recalled.
Zahid said that when she stayed at home, specialist doctors visited her daily and she spoke to each of them.
He asked for prayers for Khaleda’s departed soul, praying for strength to bear the grief of her demise.
Asked when he last spoke to her, Zahid said dialysis began on Dec 1 and she was later placed on elective ventilation.
“Even after that, we had interactions with her,” he said.
“When we saw her, she tried to respond to us and made efforts to reply.”
He added that doctors always acted with caution given her condition, and avoided anything that could worsen her health.
“At this moment, I cannot recall exactly when our last conversation took place,” he said.
He said Khaleda continued to respond whenever doctors visited her and consistently tried to answer questions, despite her illness.
