The 10-member medical board, formed to ensure the treatment of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, sat in a meeting on  Saturday at Evercare Hospital to review her health condition. “The meeting of the medical board began around 11:10am to review the medical reports and health condition of Khaleda Zia,” said her media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will brief on Khaleda’s health condition at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office at 3 pm. Earlier talking to UNB, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, a member of the medical board, said they will review the medical test reports and decide the next course of treatment of the BNP chief. On 28 April 2021, a 10-member medical board, headed by Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, was formed for the treatment of Khaleda at the Evercare Hospital.  The same medical board will now oversee Khaleda’s treatment. Asked about Khaleda’s condition in the morning, he said nothing can be said about it now as her condition can take any turn at any time. “She will kept in observation at CCU for 72 hours.” Zahid said Khaleda Zia has long been suffering from various critical diseases, including heart, liver and kidney complications. “She needs to receive advanced treatment abroad, but the government has long been denying her permission to go there.” He believes Khaleda will be able to recover completely if she is allowed to go abroad for treatment. Earlier, Khaleda Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital in the capital in the early hours of Saturday as she suddenly fell ill. "Madam (Khaleda) suddenly fell ill at her Gulshan home. We rushed her to Evercare Hospital," Khaleda's physician Professor AZM Zahid Hossain told UNB. The BNP chief was taken to the coronary care unit (CCU) of the hospital at 3:20am, he added. The BNP chief left her Gulshan residence for the hospital at 2:55amand was admitted there at 3:15am, said her media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan. Hearing the news of Khaleda's illness, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir rushed to her Gulshan residence and later went to the hospital. Coming out of the hospital around 4:30am, Fakhrul said after some primary tests, the doctors found that she has cardiac problems. "Madam's condition is stable now. How complicated her problem is can be confirmed after she undergoes different tests, especially an angiogram," he said. READ: Khaleda hospitalised with heart problems A medical board will analyse Khaleda's condition and her medical reports at 10:30am Saturday and decide the next course of treatment, Fakhrul added. He hoped that Khaleda would recover as she did in the past. The BNP leader urged the country’s people to pray for her speedy recovery. It is for the fifth time the BNP was admitted to the hospital since she was infected with Covid-19 in April 2021. The BNP chairperson last went to Evercare on April 6 for health check-ups Khaleda, a former prime minister, has been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung and eye problems. The 76-year-old was last admitted to Evercare on November 13 last year where she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. On February 1, Khaleda returned home after an 81-day stay at the hospital as she was suffering from internal bleeding caused by liver cirrhosis. The former prime minister was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail as a lower court sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on February 8, 2018. Later, she was found guilty in another corruption case the same year. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the government temporarily freed Khaleda from jail through an executive order suspending her sentence on March 25, 2020, with conditions that she will stay at her Gulshan home and not leave the country.

The health condition of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, now undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital with multiple complications, is still critical but it is not true that she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, said her personal physician Dr AZM Zahid Hossain. He, however, said the BNP chief has been suffering from liver problems alongside kidney and cardiac ones. “Madam’s condition is the same as before. There’s no noticeable change in her condition. We neither can call it a slight improvement, nor stable. In a word, she is still in a critical condition,” Zahid told UNB. He said physicians have kept her under intensive monitoring in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of the hospital. “Various parameters of her health are fluctuating and are taking the right measures accordingly.” Zahid said the BNP chief is very weak physically and she has to spend most of her time lying in bed. “She’s only allowed soft food.” Syeda Sharmila Rahman Sithi, the wife of Khaleda’s deceased son Arafat Rahman, has been taking care of her at the hospital, he said. The doctor said it is now imperative for Khaleda to go to any advanced centre abroad for the proper treatment of her multidisciplinary diseases. “All the doctors, including those connected virtually from the USA and the UK, are worried about her condition as they think she needs to go abroad as soon as possible.” Read: Govt should allow ailing Khaleda to go abroad: Reza Kibria About media reports on Khaleda’s liver cirrhosis problem, Zaid said the news is not correct. “It’s fact that she has been suffering from liver, kidney, diabetes, heart and other complications. But I don't know from where the media got the information that she was diagnosed with cirrhosis.” Human chain in front of parliament Six MPs of BNP staged a human chain programme in front of the national parliament on Sunday morning, demanding Khaleda Zia’s treatment in an advanced centre abroad.

The 10-member medical board, formed to ensure the treatment of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, is going to sit in a meeting on Tuesday at Evercare Hospital to review her health condition. Khaleda Zia was shifted to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of the hospital with breathing problems on Monday with breathing difficulties. Read Also: Khaleda shifted to CCU with breathing problem: Doctor “Madam’s condition is fine as her breathing difficulties eased. The 10-member medical board will examine all the test reports today (Tuesday),” said Mohammad Al Mamun, Khaleda’s personal physician and one of the medical board members. “I’m now going to Evercare Hospital to join the medical board meeting,” he told UNB around 1pm. Replying to a question, Mamun said the medical board will review her current condition and give an opinion on whether she needs treatment abroad. Meanwhile, a BNP senior leader wishing anonymity said Khaleda’s family wants to take her aboard for advanced treatment, and they are now trying to get the government’s permission in this regard. He also said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir talked to the Home Minister on Monday about their party chief’s health condition and treatment aboard. However, neither Fakhrul nor Khaleda’s sister Selima Rahman could be reached over the phone for their comments on the matter. Read Also: Khaleda unlikely to be discharged from hospital before Monday: Doctors Khaleda, tested positive for Covid-19 for the second time on April 24, was admitted to Evercare Hospital on April 27 for a thorough health checkup. On April 28, a 10-member medical board, headed by Prof Shahabuddin Talukder, was formed for the treatment of Khaleda at the Evercare Hospital a day after her admission there. Khaleda Zia tested positive for Covid-19 on April 10 as eight people at her residence were infected with the virus. She underwent the second Covid-19 test on April 24 and her report was positive. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda Zia from jail for six months through an executive order suspending her sentences on March 25 last year. She was released from the prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) the same day, and she has been staying at her Gulshan house since then. On August 27 last year, the government extended her release for six more months and it was extended again for six months on March 15 last. Read Also: 10-member medical board formed for Khaleda's treatment On February 8, 2018, Khaleda was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after a lower court sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The High Court later doubled her jail term. Khaleda was found guilty in another corruption case the same year. Her party claims both the cases are politically motivated.