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A ‘special air ambulance’ flight sent by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is set to start the journey at 10:00 pm on Tuesday with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her entourage for London.
The plane landed on the VIP tarmac at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday night. It arrived in Dhaka from the Qatari capital Doha.
"This special air ambulance has been sent by His Highness the emir of Qatar after hearing the news of Madam's illness. I was present at the airport myself at night. Four doctors and paramedics have arrived on the royal air ambulance. The plane has now been placed under strict security," said Enamul Haque Chowdhury, a member of the BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council.
He said the plane has the latest medical facilities, equipment, machinery, and laboratory and can quickly give reports at the doctors' instructions.
Stating that the emir arranged the special royal fleet aircraft for Khaleda, her personal physician AZM Zahid Hossain said: "We will leave for London at 10pm tonight. That is the schedule that has been fixed."
"Madam will leave for the airport from her Gulshan residence 'Firoza' by 8pm. There is a stopover in Doha on the way to London. Inshallah, everything is going well and if it continues like this, we will be able to take off by 10am.’’
In addition to the four physicians and paramedics from the royal medical team of Qatar on board, at least six members of the medical board for Khaleda will accompany her. They are Prof Shahabuddin Talukdar, Prof FM Siddique, Prof Nuruddin Ahmed, Dr Zafar Iqbal, Prof AZM Zahid Hossain and Dr Mohammed Al Mamun.
In addition, Khaleda’s daughter-in-law Syeda Shamila Rahman, BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Executive Committee member Tabith Awal and Khaleda’s Personal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, along with other staff members will accompany her.
The 79-year-old former prime minister has been suffering from liver cirrhosis, cardiac disease, kidney ailments and other health issues for a long time.
BNP chief Khaleda will be admitted to The London Clinic in the UK for advanced treatment, her doctors have said.
Meanwhile, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi urged BNP leaders and activists not to create sufferings of people during the presence at the airport area to see off the former prime minister.