Life in the Balance: Khaleda Zia's Health Crisis Amidst Political Turmoil in Bangladesh
BANGLADESHPOLITICS
A 15-member panel of physicians, including her personal doctors and senior medical staff at the Evercare Hospital, revealed that Zia's health situation is critical and she is at "high risk of death anytime." They emphasized the complexity of her medical condition and the urgent need for a liver transplant and a life-saving procedure called Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS), which cannot be performed in Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi opposition leader Khaleda Zia, a former three-time prime minister, faces a dire health crisis that could lead to her death if the government continues to deny her permission to seek advanced medical treatment overseas, according to a panel of doctors. The 78-year-old leader, who has been effectively under house arrest due to corruption convictions, has been hospitalized in Dhaka since August for cirrhosis of the liver and other complex medical conditions.
A 15-member panel of physicians, including her personal doctors and senior medical staff at the Evercare Hospital, revealed that Zia's health situation is critical and she is at "high risk of death anytime." They emphasized the complexity of her medical condition and the urgent need for a liver transplant and a life-saving procedure called Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS), which cannot be performed in Bangladesh.
Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been demanding her access to overseas medical care, but the ruling Awami League, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has steadfastly rejected these requests. The political rivalry between Zia and Hasina has gripped Bangladesh for years, and it has escalated ahead of the upcoming general election, scheduled for December or January.
The BNP has called for a neutral caretaker government to oversee the election, but the Awami League has refused to step aside. The U.S. delegation representing the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute, both government-funded organizations, arrived in Bangladesh to assess the pre-election conditions amid concerns about the country's ability to hold free and fair elections.
Zia's deteriorating health has garnered international attention, and critics argue that her imprisonment and denial of medical treatment are politically motivated. With her life hanging in the balance, the situation in Bangladesh remains tense, with mounting pressure on the government to address the medical needs of the opposition leader and ensure a fair electoral process.