Bangladesh's ex-PM transferred from prison to hospital

A medical board formed by Bangladesh's government is evaluating the health of opposition leader Khaleda Zia in the hospital where she was admitted this weekend following complaints that her condition was deteriorating rapidly in a prison in the nation's capital, a doctor said Monday.

Abdul Jalil Chowdhury, head of the doctors' panel, said the 73-year-old opposition leader is suffering from multiple health problems including arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure, based on her medical record.

Zia, a former prime minister and the political archrival of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was sentenced to five years in jail in a corruption trial in February.

She was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, a state-run facility in Dhaka, on Saturday after months of requests to the government for treatment at a private hospital. Her Bangladesh Nationalist Party had rejected previous offers by the government to take her to a military or state hospital, but the government refused to give in.

Chowdhury said the assessment on Monday was based mainly on past medical reports because the five-member board was unable to meet Zia in person after waiting for more than one hour at the hospital.

On Sunday, the board members attempted twice to meet her but failed. It was unclear why Zia did not see them.

Rumeen Farhana, the opposition party's assistant secretary for international affairs, said supporters are worried about Zia's health condition.

"She needs serious attention as she is critically ill. When she was taken to the hospital the pain in her face was evident," Farhana said. "Most probably she suffered a mild stroke recently. She is unable to walk, she can't move one of her hands."