Khaleda to be admitted to BSMMU soon
Says senior jail super
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will be shifted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) for treatment shortly, Senior Jail Superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail Iqbal Kabir said yesterday.
The process is underway, said Kabir. But he did not disclose exactly when she would be brought to the hospital from jail.
Mahmudul Hasan, a physician of Dhaka Central Jail, said they informed Khaleda about the High Court order to send her to the BSMMU yesterday afternoon. She agreed to take treatment there, but sought one or two days before being shifted.
Sources at the BSMMU yesterday said two cabins have been reserved for Khaleda.
The BNP chief was sentenced to five years in jail on February 8 in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. She landed in prison the same day.
The HC on Thursday directed the government to admit Khaleda immediately to the BSMMU for treatment.
In response to a writ petition, the court asked the authorities to form a fresh five-member medical board to examine Khaleda's health and start her treatment.
The board would be headed by Prof Abdul Jalil Chowdhury of internal medicine and Associate Prof Badrunnesa Ahmed, a physiatrist, of the BSMMU.
The bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil gave the order following a writ petition filed by Khaleda seeking court directives on the government about sending her to a specialised hospital.
The HC also ruled that other members of the board would not be anyone from the current or former members or supporters of Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad, a pro-Awami League doctors' organisation, or Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), a pro-BNP physicians' platform, Khaleda's lawyers Bodruddza Badal and Kayser Kamal told The Daily Star on Thursday.
The court said Khaleda's physiotherapy and diagnosis would take place as per her choice and that she could engage any physician outside the BSMMU in her treatment subject to approval from the medical board.
On September 9, Khaleda had filed the petition on health grounds as she has been suffering from various illnesses.
The government on September 13 had formed a medical team, led by Prof Abdul Jalil Chowdhury, for examining her condition.
Other members of the team were Prof Harisul Haque, a cardiologist; Prof Abu Zaffar Chowdhury, an orthopedic surgeon; Associate Prof Tariq Reza Ali, an ophthalmologist; and Associate Prof Badrunnesa Ahmed of the BSMMU.
During the hearing on the petition on October 3, Khaleda's lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali told the court that the government had formed the medical board with doctors from Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad.
As a result, Khaleda may not get proper treatment from that board, he argued.
He appealed before the HC to direct the government to send Khaleda to specialised United Hospital as per her choice.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam opposed the petition, saying that the jail authorities had taken steps for providing necessary treatment to Khaleda.