Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is keeping a close watch on the condition of ailing BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas who is undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital.

“He (Abbas) has been kept in the Neuro ICU under close observation by doctors. The Prime Minister is regularly taking updates on his condition,” Social Welfare Minister Prof AZM Zahid Hossain said on Friday.

He said a medical board comprising senior neurologists has already been formed to oversee Abbas’s treatment.

The minister said the medical board held a meeting earlier to review his condition.

“Preparations have also been kept ready to take him abroad for advanced treatment if necessary though the final decision will depend on the medical board,” he added.

Dr Zahid, also a BNP Standing Committee member, requested everyone to pray for the recovery of Mirza Abbas.

Mirza Abbas, who is also a BNP Standing Committee member and political adviser to the Prime Minister, was admitted to Evercare Hospital on Wednesday night after he fell ill and lost consciousness.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Social Welfare Minister Prof AZM Zahid Hossain and BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan visited him at the hospital and spoke with the doctors on the medical board about his condition.

He said the medical board includes Prof Ali Uzzaman, Prof Sheikh Abdul Kader, Prof Zillur Rahman, Prof Din Mohammad, Prof Saeed Ahmed and Prof Zafar Iqbal among others.

He said arrangements have been kept ready to take Mirza Abbas to Singapore for advanced treatment if required.

“We have contacted the National University Hospital in Singapore and made the necessary arrangements for his possible admission there. An air ambulance has also been kept ready,” Zahid said.