Khaleda Zia to leave for London after midnight or next morning

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia – who is currently undergoing intensive treatment at Evercare Hospital – will leave the country for receiving advanced medical treatment in London after midnight or at dawn on Friday.

She will transferred to London Bridge Hospital in the United Kingdom for advanced medical care.

Khaleda's personal physician Dr AZM Zahid Hossain confirmed the party's decision at a press briefing held in front of the hospital on Thursday afternoon.

Khaleda will travel to London on an air ambulance provided by Qatar. The information was confirmed on Thursday (4 November) by the Qatar Embassy in Dhaka.

Zubaida Rahman, wife of BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, is set to depart from London and reach Dhaka on Friday.

Earlier, the interim government called for special prayers in all mosques across the country on Friday after Jummah prayers.

On Wednesday, BNP chairperson’s press wing said that Khaleda’s condition had not changed significantly in the past 24 hours and that doctors consider her condition “stable.”

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, UK specialist physician Richard Beale arrived in Dhaka to join the medical team treating Khaleda Zia.

On 23 November, Khaleda Zia was admitted to Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital in “critical” condition due to severe infections in her lungs and heart. She continues to receive treatment there for kidney complications, heart disease, and a new case of pneumonia. On 1 December, her party announced that her condition had worsened and she had been placed on ventilation support.

A medical board has been formed to oversee her treatment, consisting of both local and foreign doctors. One of the board members is Zubaida Rahman, and on Wednesday, two additional specialist teams from the United Kingdom and China joined the board chaired by Prof Dr Shahabuddin Talukder.

17-member team will accompany Khaleda to London

A team of 17 individuals will accompany Khaleda Zia on a Qatari air ambulance to London, said a BNP press release.

The team would include Khaleda’s daughter-in-law Syeda Shameela Rahman, eight skilled doctors, and two Special Security Force (SSF) personnel, among others, said the press release signed by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Among the doctors would be British physician Richard John Beale and Khaleda's personal doctor Dr AZM Zahid Hossain. Zubaida is also expected to join Khaleda during her travel to London following her return to the country, but her name was yet to be included in BNP's official list.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman's Adviser Mahdi Amin said on a facebook post that if the flight can be secured on time, Khaleda's air ambulance would depart for London before Zubaida can land in Dhaka.

Temporary helipad set up in Bashundhara Residential Area

A temporary helipad has been set up in the capital's Bashundhara Residential Area to facilitate emergency air transport for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is currently receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital in a critical condition.

An Army helicopter conducted a test landing and take-off at the site, carrying out multiple flights shortly after 1pm on Thursday.