Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia has had a pacemaker implanted in Evercare Hospital in the capital to address abnormality of her heart rate.
A group of specialist doctors successfully installed a pacemaker in Khaleda Zia's chest on Sunday, her personal physician Prof AZM Zahid Hossain told the media.
"Alhamdulillah, we've completed the process of implanting the pacemaker on Madam's chest," he added.
The physician also said Khaleda Zia will now be kept under the close supervision of doctors in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) for the next 72 hours.
He said the doctors initiated the process of installing a pacemaker at the hospital after taking Khaleda to a specially equipped room in the afternoon.
Zahid, also a BNP vice-chairman, said Khaleda had previous heart issues involving blockages that were treated with stenting. "After a thorough assessment, the medical board decided to implant the pacemaker in her heart," the physician said.
On behalf of BNP and Khaleda Zia's family, he requested the people of the country to pray for the speedy recovery of the former prime minister.
On June 11, 2022, Khaleda was diagnosed with multiple blockages in her heart in Evercare Hospital. One of these blockages was 95% blocked and was treated with stent placement at that time.
A medical board member, speaking anonymously, said that since the BNP chief's admission to the hospital early Saturday, they held several meetings to address the abnormality in her heartbeats.
"We have finally decided to implant a pacemaker on the former prime minister's chest to address the problem." A pacemaker is a small electronic device implanted in the chest to help control one's heartbeat. It is used when the heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or irregularly due to a heart attack, heart failure, or another problem that has damaged the heart's natural electrical system.
Pacemakers are usually implanted as a permanent treatment, but they are sometimes used as a temporary measure to stabilize heart rhythms in people recovering from a heart attack, heart surgery, or a medication overdose that slowed their heart rate.
Khaleda Zia was rushed to Evercare Hospital in an ambulance around 3:30am on Saturday as she suddenly fell sick at her residence 'Firoza' in Gulshan. She was quickly admitted to the CCU, where her medical treatment began under the supervision of a medical board.
The former prime minister, aged 79, has long been battling various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and issues related to the kidney, lung, heart, and eyes. Since her conditional release from prison in 2020, the BNP chief has been receiving medical care frequently at the hospital under the supervision of a medical board headed by cardiologist Prof. Shahabuddin Talukder.
Khaleda's doctors have been advising sending her abroad since she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in November 2021.
On October 26 last year, three US specialist doctors completed a hepatic procedure known as the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS procedure) to stop water accumulation in Khaleda's stomach and chest, and bleeding in her liver.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir rushed to the hospital at around 4:45pm to enquire about Khaleda Zia's health condition.
Addressing a doa mahfil at BNP Nayapaltan office in the capital, he said that the ailing party chairperson's condition is now between life and death. He called upon the countrymen to offer doa for Khaleda Zia so that she could recover quickly and play a leading role again in restoring the country's democracy.
"Please pray for Khaleda Zia, who has given us democracy from the autocrat (former president H M Ershad). She has introduced parliamentary democracy to strengthen multi-party democracy in the country. She has ensured the people's voting rights. Now her condition is between life and death," Fakhrul said. He called upon the countrymen to pray for Khaleda Zia, so that she could recover and again play a leading role in restoring the country's democracy.
"Begum Khaleda Zia has been behind the bars for a long time due to vindictive policy of the government, which has kept her behind the bars just to keep her away from politics and also to kill her."
"Awami League (AL) repeatedly usurped power by force. The party has taken away people's rights, including those of voting and freedom of speech," he continued.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com