The BNP chief was admitted to hospital for a thorough check-up last week
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been shifted to Coronary Care Unit (CCU) as she is experiencing shortness of breath.
Her personal physician Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said the former prime minister had been shifted to the CCU of Evercare Hospital, in Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area, at around 3pm on Monday.
“She started feeling shortness of breath early in the morning today [Monday],” he said during a media briefing at around 7:30pm in Bashundhara. “As she became more uncomfortable during the day, she was moved to the CCU.”
Her shortness of breath was caused by excess fluid accumulating in her lungs, according to sources.
“Even healthy people can feel short of breath at any time in any situation… She [Khaleda Zia] is going through more tests to determine what has caused her breathing issue,” Dr Zahid Hossain said. “After we receive the test results, her medical board as well as doctors abroad will review them to see if there is an infection in her lungs.
“We will disclose the details later,” he added.
Dr Zahid Hossain further said Khaleda was stable at the moment. “She is able to speak as well. She spoke with her doctor this evening too,” he added.
Khaleda Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital on April 27 for a thorough health check-up.
She tested positive for Covid-19 on April 10 when eight people of her Gulshan residence were found to be infected with the virus.
She underwent a second Covid-19 test on April 24, and tested positive again. Her blood report and CT scan results were normal.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda from jail for six months through an executive order suspending her sentences in a corruption case on March 25 last year.
She was released from the prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) the same day. She has been staying at her Gulshan house since then.
On August 27 last year, the government extended her release for six more months and it was extended again for six months on March 15.
On February 8, 2018, Khaleda was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after a lower court sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The High Court later doubled her jail term.
