'Khaleda may get crippled, fears her personal physicians'

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday alleged that its ‘critically ill’ chairperson Khaleda Zia cannot be taken to a specialised hospital for better treatment as a file in this regard remains stuck at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Besides, Khaleda’s three personal physicians feared that she can be crippled and can lose her eyesight if she is not given proper treatment immediately in any specialised hospital.

“We’ve come to know the jail authorities in consultation with doctors recommended sending her (Khaleda) to a specialised hospital. What we’ve heard that this file remains stuck at the Prime Minister’s Office,” said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

He came up with the allegation at a press conference at BNP’s Naya Paltan central office. Khaleda’s three physicians also spoke at the press conference about her physical condition.

The BNP leader said their chairperson’s health condition is gradually falling for lack of proper treatment only because of the government’s delay in taking a decision to send her whether to United Hospital or Apollo Hospitals.

Referring to the BNP chairperson’s doctors’ opinions about her health condition, he said her health condition can seriously be deteriorated if the government does not immediately allow her to receive proper treatment. “We once again urge the government to send our leader to a specialised hospital without any delay.”

Otherwise, Fakhrul warned, the government will be held responsible if anything bad happens to Khaleda, and it will have to be accountable to people. “We hope the good sense will prevail upon the government to ensure proper treatment of our leader as per the recommendations by the Home Ministry and the jail authorities.

He recalled that current prime minister Sheikh Hasina was taken to Square Hospital from jail for her eye problem during the 1/11 government in 2007.

The BNP leader alleged that the government is not providing Khaleda with proper treatment as part of its ‘evil’ motive to keep her away from politics and election.

Speaking at the programme, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said the Home Minister and the IG Prison during a meeting with him on April 22 assured that Khaleda will be taken for treatment wherever it is necessary as per doctors’ recommendation. “But no step has so far been taken in this regard.”

Nazrul said the government’s negligence towards a 73-year-old sick former Prime Minister is not only inhuman but also a bad-political manner.