Khaleda Zia requires urgent liver transplant abroad, doctors say

The medical board formed for the treatment of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at Evercare Hospital has said the former prime minister cannot receive the necessary treatment in Bangladesh and needs to be sent abroad for a liver transplant. 

“Khaleda Zia’s risk of death is high and she needs urgent overseas treatment for a liver transplant,” said Professor FM Siddiqui, one of the doctors on the medical board, during a press conference on Monday. 

“Khaleda Zia's liver infection has caused fluid to accumulate in her stomach repeatedly. High dosages of antibiotics have proven ineffective. Fluid buildup has impacted her heart, resulting in her being shifted to the CCU twice,” he said. 

“She has received four blood transfusions due to internal bleeding. She is being observed round-the-clock,” he added. 

The medical board said that they have exhausted all available treatment options available domestically. 

“If Khaleda Zia had undergone the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure two years earlier, the current complications could have been avoided,” they said. 

Professor Siddiqui said while TIPS and liver transplants are not performed in Bangladesh, experimental liver transplants began at Birdem General Hospital in 2006 and 2008 but were not continued.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University started liver transplants on an experimental basis a few days ago but has since been discontinued, he said. 

“Khaleda Zia's current ailments include liver cirrhosis, with fluid accumulation in her chest and stomach. The only available treatments in Bangladesh are fluid drainage and antibiotics, which are insufficient,” he added. 

The BNP chief's personal physician Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said the medical board has done everything possible and that the doctors have nothing else to do.

“The next step is seeking treatment abroad. For her recovery, taking her overseas is imperative,” he said.