Bangladesh News

Detained Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil needs an immediate kidney transplant or be put on kidney dialysis, doctors said yesterday.

The six-member medical board set up yesterday to examine the ailing AL leader said that Jalil has multifarious health problems including a heart condition and warned that his health condition may deteriorate at any time.

Dr Motiur Rahman, head of the medical board set up at the LabAid Cardiac hospital, told The Daily Star yesterday “we’ll send a report recommending immediate start of dialysis to the jail authorities by tonight.”

Meanwhile, Inspector General (Prisons) Brigadier General Zakir Hassan told The Daily Star yesterday Jalil does not want to be put on dialysis but wants a kidney transplantation.

But doctors think the transplantation would be risky due to his multifarious health problems including a heart condition, the IG (Prisons) added.

He said that the medical board has already told him that they will recommend sending Jalil abroad for the transplant but the jail code does not permit sending prisoners abroad for treatment.

“Since it is an urgent issue I’ll personally collect the report tonight and send it to the home ministry for the government’s decision on the matter,” the IG (prisons) told The Daily Star.

Brig Gen Zakir Hassan meanwhile visited the ailing AL leader at the hospital yesterday. Deputy Inspector General (prisons) Maj Shamsul Haider Siddiqui accompanied him.

Dr Motiur Rahman who heads the medical board for Jalil is the chief cardiologist of the hospital and Jalil’s personal physician.

The others on the medical board are cardiology specialist Prof Boren Chakraborty, kidney specialists Prof Rafiqul Islam, Prof Anisul Haque and Prof Abdus Samad, and orthopaedic specialist Dr Gouranga Boiragi.

Jalil was arrested on May 29 last year. He was admitted to the LabAid Cardiac Hospital on July 15 last year after falling ill in jail and has been here since.

He has previously undergone a bypass surgery and has a pacemaker installed in his heart.