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BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has returned to her Gulshan residence after spending 2 months and 19 days at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
A car carrying the former prime minister left the hospital at around 7:30pm on Tuesday. She is set to continue her treatment at home, according to Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, a member of her personal medical team.
“She is not completely well at the moment, but the internal bleeding has stopped, and she is now free from fear,” the doctor said.
When asked why Khaleda Zia had returned home before completing her recovery, Dr Hossain said the number of patients at the hospital was increasing due to the surge in Covid-19 cases. “If she stays at the hospital, there is a risk of contracting Covid-19 or other infections.”
The medical board took the decision to shift Khaleda Zia back home on Monday night,” he added.
During a press briefing at the hospital on Tuesday evening, medical board member Dr Fakhruddin Mohammad Siddique confirmed that Khaleda Zia had been shifted back home due to the risk of Covid-19 infection.
“In January, 380 doctors and staff were infected with Covid-19 at Evercare Hospital. Besides, the number of Covid patients is increasing at the hospital every day. Considering the situation and her vulnerable physical condition, we think that Khaleda Zia would be put at risk if she stayed here,” he added.
The doctor further said the BNP chief’s treatment would continue at home under the constant supervision of the medical board formed at Evercare.
The medical board said Khaleda Zia was out of danger, but not cured.
Medical board member Dr Samsul Arfin, an interventional gastroenterologist, said: “Although there is no permanent solution to her physical condition, we can say that she is now stable.
“She may need a liver transplant in the future due to the liver cirrhosis. She may stay stable for 2-3 more months. There is no 100% guarantee of anything,” he added.
Dr Fakhruddin said there was now little chance of any major bleeding.