Former health minister and Awami League leader Mohammad Nasim tested negative for Covid-19 in a second test on Tuesday morning, although his physical condition has not changed or deteriorated.
Confirming the matter to The Business Post, Al Imran Chowdhury, Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh Specialized Hospital (BSH), said the former minister's samples will be tested again tomorrow (Wednesday).
Nasim will be kept under observation for the next 72 hours, added Chowdhury.
Nasim is currently being treated with ventilation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of BSH in the capital's Shyamoli. This treatment will be continued until the doctors decide otherwise considering changes in his health condition.
After a meeting on Monday night, seven doctors of his medical board expressed their optimism that there will be no deterioration.
On June 1, Mohammad Nasim tested positive for coronavirus after being admitted to the private hospital in the capital's Shyamoli area, with blood pressure problems and physical weakness. His health condition deteriorated after he suffered a brain stroke and had to undergo an emergency surgery on June 5.
A medical board headed by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Vice-Chancellor Kanak Kanti Barua was formed last Saturday to treat Mohammad Nasim. Initially, the medical board decided to keep Mohammad Nasim under observation for 72 hours. However, at the end of 72 hours, the doctors decided to continue the observation in the same way.
A stalwart of the ruling party, in Nasim's present role he has been acting as the convenor for the 14-party ruling alliance built around the heft of AL. After the 2014 parliamentary election, Mohammad Nasim became the health minister of the Awami League government. Earlier, he served in several ministries during the 1996-2001 Awami League government.
