Ex-Bangla prez Ershad on life support: Health Minister

Dhaka: Ailing former Bangladesh president HM Ershad’s has been put on life support system after his condition deteriorated, according to the Health Minister Zahid Malik.
The 89-year-old former military strongman has been ill for quite some time, suffering from low haemoglobin count and liver complications.
He was admitted to the the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka on June 22, bdnews24 reported. Speaking to reporters after visiting Ershad, who is Chairman of the Jatiya Party, at the hospital on Monday, Health Minister Malik said that the former military strongman has been placed on life support. “His condition is critical. He is on life support. The overall situation is critical,” said Malik.
On the treatment of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, he said, “The doctors have given their opinions, He is not in a state to travel abroad. He will receive every possible treatment here.”
According to party leaders, his condition was improving on Saturday before taking a turn for the worse the next day.
Ershad’s lung infection spread to his kidneys, Ershad’s brother GM Quader, also acting chairman of Jatiya Party, told the portal on Monday.
“He has been put on oxygen support. The situation has not changed much. We hope he’ll recover.”
Ershad returned to Bangladesh on December 26, just ahead of the general election on December 30 after treatment in a Singapore hospital. He pulled himself out of the electoral race in the Dhaka-17 seat citing his illness, but contested in the Rangpur-3 constituency without campaigning and won the election.
He took oath in January on a wheelchair. Ershad is a former Bangladeshi Army chief and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990, a time many consider to have been a military dictatorship.
He was forced to resign following a popular pro-democracy mass uprising led by Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. (PTI)