Chowdhury, Zafarullah
Chowdhury, Zafarullah (1941-2023) physician, Freedom Fighter, social worker, human rights activist, life-long friend of destitute people, pioneer of drug policy, founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra [people’s health hospital], fondly called ‘people’s doctor’.
Zafarullah Chowdhury was born on 27 December 1941 at Koyepara village in Raozan upazila under Chittagong district. His father’s name was Humayun Morshed Chowdhury and his mother was Hasina Begum Chowdhury. His father was a police officer, while mother was housewife. Zafarullah Chowdhury was the eldest among 10 brothers and sisters.
Zafarullah Chowdhury passed his Matriculation from Nabakumar Institution in old Dhaka and Intermediate from Dhaka College. Then he got himself admitted in Dhaka Medical College, where from he obtained his MBBS degree in 1964. Thereafter he went to London to study FRCS. When he was about to complete his 4-year course of study, genocide on civilian Bengalis at the hands of the Pakistani army started and the Bangladesh War of Liberation broke out. Instead of sitting for the final examination, he resolved to join the Liberation War. His academic career ended up there.
Zafarullah Chowdhury was actively involved in progressive politics during his college life. He was elected General Secretary of Dhaka Medical College Students Union. He played a glorious role in the Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971.While in London, Zafarullah engaged himself as a fulltime activist of Liberation War, collecting funds for war-time Bangladesh Government (widely known as mujibnagar government) and lobbying for support among British people and law-makers under the banner of Action Committees. Such a committee of doctors was formed named Bangladesh Medical Association with himself as General Secretary to collect medicine and other essentials for Bengali refugees in Calcutta and other neighbouring states of India. In denunciation of loyalty to Pakistan, he publicly tore up Pakistani passport into pieces while was in a rally on the street of London.
At one stage, he decided to return to the Bangladesh war fields to take active part against the Pakistani occupation army. In June 1971, he accompanied by Dr. MA Mobin managed to return to Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of Tippera. At Melaghar in Tippera was the Headquarters of Major Khaled Musharraf, the Commander of Sector 2during the war. Close to Melagarh, at a place called Motigarh, a thatched bamboo-made ‘Bangladesh Field Hospital’ was established on the initiative of Major Khaled Mosharraf to provide medical treatment for wounded and sick Freedom Fighters. Zafarullah and Mobin joined the Hospital along with medicine and other essentials including surgery apparatus collected in London, serving there during the whole period of Liberation War together with few other doctors and roughly trained nurses.
After liberation, in 1972 Zafarullah established Gonosasthaya Kendra at Savar, Dhaka with direct assistance and patronage of Bangabandhu. It provides medical services mainly among the poor and insolvent people at minimum cost. He has also established other bodies including a 100-bed modern dialysis centre in the Gonosasthaya Dhaka Nagar [city] Hospital. As a firm believer in women empowerment, he gave preferences to poor rural women in recruitments. As a result, 40 percent of staffs and employees in his Hospital comprise women.
Besides Gonosasthaya Hospital, another landmark contribution of Zafarullah Chowdhury was the enactment of Essential Drug Policy 1982 through Ershad regime. It has virtually put an end to hegemony of Multi-national Companies (MNCs) in Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical sector, contributing immensely to the bourgeoning of national pharmaceutical industries.
Zafarullah Chowdhury had been honoured by both Bangladesh and foreign governments with medals and accolades, which included 'Swadhinata Padak' (1977), 'Ramon Magsaysay Award' (The Philippines, 1985), 'Swedish government’s Right Livelihood Award' (1992), 'Doctor of Humanitarian Award' (2009) by the Canadian World Organization of 'Natural Medicine, International Public Health Heroes Award' (2010) by Berkley, USA, to mention a few.
As a person, Zafarullah Chowdhury was both a visionary and a practioner. He was very bold, courageous, outspoken, one who never minced his words, a great patriot, humanist, down to earth honest and, last but not least, an undaunted believer in an exploitation free society unto his death.
Zafarullah Chowdhury had been suffering from multiple acute health problems for long. He had to undergo kidney dialysis for three days in a week. He was infected with COVID-19 letting further damaging his visit organs. Finally, he succumbed to death on 11 April 2023 at Gonosasthaya Nagar Hospital at the age of 81. He was buried in the premises of Savar Gonosasthya Kendra. He is survived by his wife Shireen Huq (of Women for Women NGO) and one daughter and one son. [Harun-or-Rashid]
Sources Harun-or-Rashid (ed.), Bangladesh Muktijuddhya Gyankosh (in Bengali) [Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation], Vol., (Asiatic Society of Bangladesh 2020); The Daily Star (Dhaka), 12 and 13 April 2023; Prothom Alo (a Bengali Daily), 12 April 2023
