Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister Khaleda Zia dies at 80

Bangladesh’s former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia died early Tuesday at age 80 after prolonged illness. She passed away at a Dhaka hospital while undergoing treatment, despite efforts by local and foreign medical specialists

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s former first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, has died after a prolonged illness, local media reported on Tuesday. Zia, the country’s first female prime minister and chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has passed away at the age of 80, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

She died while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka early Tuesday morning, around 6 am, confirmed her personal physician, Professor AZM Zahid Hossain.

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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.