Begum Khaleda Zia, the country’s first female prime minister and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has passed away at the age of 80.
She died while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka early Tuesday morning around 6am, confirmed her personal physician Professor AZM Zahid Hossain.
Khaleda Zia was admitted to Evercare Hospital on November 23 for routine tests, during which doctors detected a chest infection and decided to keep her under observation.
Her condition worsened on November 27, prompting her transfer to the hospital’s Coronary Care Unit (CCU).
In the early hours of Tuesday, Professor Hossain, a member of the medical board overseeing her treatment, had described her state as “very critical.”
Family members, including her son Tarique Rahman, visited her at the hospital late Monday night.
Despite efforts by a team of local and foreign specialists, her health continued to deteriorate.
Plans were considered to take her abroad for advanced treatment, but her fragile condition made travel impossible.
Khaleda Zia had long been battling multiple health complications, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver cirrhosis, and kidney problems.
Her final hospitalisation came after she developed severe breathing difficulties in late November.
