Khaleda refuses to take treatment from govt doctors

The chief of country’s primary opposition political party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, now in jail, has refused to take treatment from the government appointed physicians.

A four-member medical team visited Khaleda in jail on Sunday, examined her health condition and wrote a prescription as well, but Khaleda told the authorities that she would not take treatment from them she rather demanded a team of personal doctors for her treatment, according to the officials concerned.

When a smokescreen over the illness of the opposition leader is brewing up in the political arena with a rumour going around that her arch-rival Bangladesh Awami League (AL)-led government might send Khaleda abroad in the name of her treatment, ahead of the general elections, the government formed medical team Sunday, to assess the BNP chairperson’s health.

Led by the head of the orthopedics department at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital professor M Shamsuzzaman, the medical team includes head of neurology department of the hospital Mansur Habib, internal medicine specialist Titu Mia and physical medicine department head Soheli Rahman.

When contacted, acting civil surgeon of Dhaka district Abul Fazal Md Shahabuddin told Prothom Alo that the medical team examined Khaleda’s health and wrote a prescription for her. “But they will submit a report to the director on Monday [today],” he added.

Asked if Khaleda is ailing, Abul Fazal said she is doing well. “The ailments like knee pain are old ones. However, it is natural that the problems will increase keeping pace with her age.”

A rumour went around for the past couple of days that Khaleda is ailing in jail and her health condition was so bad that she could not be produced before a trial court on Wednesday. The next day BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul was denied a meeting with her in jail on account of her illness.

Next a rumour circulated that Khaleda might be sent abroad for treatment and BNP leaders said this rumour made them worried because the jail authorities had not issued any formal statement regarding the health of their leader.

Khaleda’s personal physicians had sought an appointment to meet her in jail too, but the jail authorities did not give them the permission.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters on Friday, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “We fear that there might be an effort to remove the opposition here the way the other autocratic regimes usually remove the opposition.”

Khaleda’s regular physician in jail Mahmudul Hasan told Prothom Alo on Sunday, “I examined her [Khaleda] health at [Sunday] noon. She is doing well.”

Officials in the home ministry said the government has formed the medical team in the wake of different remarks coming from different quarters including from her party regarding her health.

“We’re doing whatever necessary for her better treatment,” home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told Prothom Alo.

Asked if the authorities would allow Khaleda taking treatment from her personal doctors, the home minister replied in the negative. “It’s not possible as per the jail code.”

He said the authorities would take decision as per the prescription of the medical team. “If necessary, she [Khaleda] will be admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.”

He, however, said none of the doctors said Khaleda is ill.

Party senior leaders said the actual state of Khaleda's health is not clear to them. The party is in the dark and their apprehensions about the condition of Khaleda’s health have been exacerbated by rumours making rounds in the political arena.