Khoka's health condition worsens in NY

The condition of BNP leader Sadeque Hossain Khoka, who is being treated in the US for cancer in the rib, has been deteriorating since the last couple of months.

Talking to The Daily Star over the phone recently Khoka, who is out of politics lately, said he had lost weight over six kilogrammes due to different complexities following the treatment.

"… I suffer from diarrhea on a regular basis. Besides, vomiting has also become a common matter," said Khoka, also former mayor of Dhaka City Corporation.

He feels pain in the legs most of the time and the body temperature remains high, he said.

Diagnosed with a tumour in one his ribs in early 2014, Khoka went to New York in June and since then he has been receiving treatment at Manhattan's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

His wife and daughter have been with him at his rented home in New York.

Doctors advised the BNP vice chairman to avoid all sorts of public gatherings.

Considering the present situation, the number of chemo tablets has been reduced to three from seven in a week, he said.

The latest condition of his cancer will be known after carrying out some tests -- including MRI, CT and Bone Marrow Scan, he said. "Medication will be given in accordance with the results of the tests."