Dhaka, Dec. 20: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia, 80, continues to battle serious health issues in hospital as Bangladesh gears up for national elections scheduled for February 12, 2026. 

Zia, the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has been under intensive care at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka since 23 November after developing a severe chest infection that affected her heart and lungs, reported Al Jazeera.

Zia’s condition has been described as critical and fragile by medical experts and party officials, with multiple complications including kidney dysfunction, infections and respiratory difficulties. 

Doctors placed her on elective ventilator support to allow her lungs and other vital organs to rest. Her kidney failure has required regular dialysis, and she has received advanced antibiotic and antifungal treatments.

Despite these challenges, there are no reports of significant improvement.

Zia’s personal physician, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, said that her health is “more stable” compared with the early days of treatment, and she has recently undergone a minor medical procedure successfully. 

She is currently receiving care in a Coronary Care Unit (CCU) with full ICU facilities.

Zia’s eldest son, Tarique Rahman, who has been based in London since 2008, called on the people of Bangladesh to pray for his mother’s recovery.

Zia, who served three terms as prime minister, was jailed for corruption in 2018 under recently ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, which also barred her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.

She was released last year, shortly after Hasina’s removal.

Despite her ill health, Zia has promised to campaign in elections expected in February 2026, in which the BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner.-Agencies