Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s planned travel to London for advanced medical treatment has been delayed, with her departure now unlikely before Sunday. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam confirmed that both a technical issue with the scheduled air ambulance and a slight deterioration in her health contributed to the postponement.
Fakhrul told Bangladeshi news agency UNB that the Qatar Royal air ambulance, arranged by the Emir of Qatar, could not reach Dhaka on Friday due to technical complications. He added that the aircraft may arrive on Saturday, but Khaleda Zia’s ability to fly will depend entirely on her medical condition at the time. Doctors are expected to reassess her health following a medical procedure before giving approval for the journey.
Earlier, her personal physician and BNP Standing Committee member A. Z. M. Zahid Hossain had said that she was expected to fly to London on Friday, following a unanimous decision by a team of local and foreign specialists. A hospital in London has already been selected for her treatment.
The 80-year-old former Prime Minister is currently under intensive care at Evercare Hospital’s Coronary Care Unit (CCU), where she has been receiving treatment for multiple chronic ailments, including heart and lung infections, liver cirrhosis, and kidney complications. She was admitted on November 23 and shifted to the CCU on November 27 as her condition worsened.
