BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will be accompanied by 14 close aides, including top party leaders, on her journey to London for medical treatment, Dr. Enamul Haque Chowdhury confirmed on Thursday.
The team has said that if everything goes well, he could be taken to London on Friday in an air ambulance sent from Qatar. If necessary, the flight will be postponed a day to Saturday.
Khaleda Zia will be accompanied by a total of 14 people. They are – Sayeda Shamila Rahman, wife of Khaleda Zia’s younger son Koko, Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain, Md. Anamul Haque Chowdhury, Dr. Fakhruddin Mohammad Siddiqui, Dr. Shahabuddin Talukder, Dr. Nuruddin Ahmed, Dr. Zafar Iqbal and Dr. Mohammad Al Mamun. Also present will be Hasan Shahriar Iqbal, Syed Shamin Mahfuz, Abdul Hai Mallick, Masuder Rahman, Fatema Begum and Rupa Sikder.
At a briefing in front of Evercare Hospital at noon, Dr. Zahid Hossain said that preparations are underway to leave for London at midnight today or tomorrow morning, depending on the stability of the condition. There, his treatment will continue at a pre-determined hospital and a specialized medical team will be with him throughout the journey.
The former prime minister has been suffering from arthritis, kidney complications, lung problems and other long-term ailments for a long time. He returned to the country in May after a 117-day stay in London for advanced treatment in January this year. He was last admitted to Evercare Hospital on November 23 after developing breathing problems and infection, where he is still in critical condition, party sources said.