Bangla HC orders transfer of Zia to specialised hospital for treatment

The Bangladesh High Court on Thursday ordered the government to shift jailed former premier and BNP chief Khaleda Zia to a specialised hospital and reconstitute a medical team for her treatment.

Zia, 73, is currently on trial for corruption charges in a makeshift courtroom inside a 19th-century British-built prison where she is the only inmate and in failing health.

The former Prime Minister recently complained to the court that she was losing feeling in her hand and in a leg.

Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif and Justice Rajik Al Jalil issued the order on Thursday in response to a petition seeking to transfer Zia to a specialised hospital, bdnews24 reported.

The court also ordered the government to reconstitute the five-member medical team formed by the government in September, the report said.

The new team will replace three physicians with as many new members.

The court said Zia can choose a physiotherapist, a gynaecologist and a technician and a physician from outside Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) for her treatment subject to the approval from the medical team.

It also directed the authorities to start Zia's medical treatment soon after her admission to hospital.

On September 16, a team of doctors had visited the old Dhaka Central Jail to examine the health condition of Zia.

Zia was jailed for five years in February after being convicted of corruption, a sentence that triggered clashes between police and thousands of her supporters.

She was granted bail in a corruption case in May but remains in jail while she fights dozens of other violence and graft charges.

Zia was found guilty then of embezzling money intended for an orphanage, a charge she dismissed as politically motivated.

She is appealing against the verdict which bars her from standing in a general election to be held in December.