Bangladesh's former prime minister and leader of the mainstream opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda Zia is expected to be flown to London from the capital Dhaka on Friday for specialised medical treatment abroad, according to local media.
Khaleda Zia is to be transferred by air ambulance, with London Bridge Hospital selected as the destination for further care, the Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star reported on Thursday, quoting her personal physician and BNP Standing Committee member Dr. A.Z.M. Zahid Hossain.
Zia, 80, has long suffered from a series of health complications, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis and kidney problems. She was taken to Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on November 23 after developing breathing difficulties.
The BNP’s official Facebook page confirmed the plan in a post on Thursday, noting that the air ambulance will travel via Qatar.
Zia’s health significantly worsened during her jail term under fugitive former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government was ousted last year, the BNP has said.
The party alleged that Hasina restricted Zia’s access to adequate treatment and prevented her from travelling abroad for advanced medical care.
Zia was released from jail soon after Hasina fled to India in August last year. She later travelled to the UK in January this year for treatment. She had been under house arrest since 2020 and was jailed in 2018 after receiving a five-year sentence.
