The 79-year-old opposition leader was taken to the hospital on Sunday night for a series of examinations and was subsequently admitted for urgent treatment.
Dhaka: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has been admitted to Evercare Hospital in Bashundhara after being diagnosed with a chest infection, Bangladesh News 24 has reported, citing statements from her medical team.
Zia served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006.
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The 79-year-old opposition leader was taken to the hospital on Sunday night for a series of examinations and was subsequently admitted for urgent treatment. She is currently under intensive medical observation in a private cabin.
Dr FM Siddiqui, a member of the medical board overseeing her care, described the next 12 hours as “crucial”. He said Zia had been falling ill “very frequently” in recent months and that several health problems had “coincided”, prompting her immediate admission.
Her pre-existing cardiac issues have complicated her condition. “She has a permanent pacemaker and has previously undergone heart stenting. Both her heart and lungs are affected simultaneously, causing significant respiratory distress,” Dr Siddiqui explained. He added that she was started on antibiotics and rapid-response care following preliminary test results, with further reports expected within 24 hours.
Zia was admitted at around 8 pm and is under the supervision of specialist Professor Shahabuddin Talukder. Following initial examinations, the hospital’s medical board convened, joined virtually by experts from Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States.
Professor AZM Zahid Hossain, Zia’s personal physician and a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Standing Committee, said her care was being managed “with utmost precision and vigilance”. He stressed that doctors were not presently concerned about a critical deterioration, adding that the board would reassess her condition within 12 hours.
He also said that since early Saturday, Tarique Rahman and Zia’s daughter-in-law Zubaida Rahman have been in constant contact from London, while Syeda Shamila Rahman, widow of Zia’s late son Arafat Rahman Coco, has been at the hospital. Family members remain closely involved in monitoring her treatment.
Khaleda Zia, who suffers from arthritis, diabetes, kidney and lung complications, and vision problems, had travelled to London on January 7 for advanced medical care. She reportedly returned to Dhaka on May 6 after a 117-day stay abroad.
ANI
Published: 24 Nov 2025, 08:28 am IST
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