2nd death anniversary of Zafrullah Chowdhury today

Today is the 2nd death anniversary of Zafrullah Chowdhury. He was born on 27 December 1941. His childhood was spent in Kolkata. Later he moved to Dhaka with his family. He studied at Nabakumar Institution and Dhaka College. While studying at Dhaka Medical College, he got involved with the Student Union. After completing his MBBS in 1964, he went to London for higher education in general and vascular surgery. When the Liberation War began, he returned to the country. He established a 480-bed field hospital for the treatment of freedom fighters and refugees.

Immediately after independence, he established Gonoshasthaya Kendra. Gonoshasthaya Kendra, established from the concept of demystification of medical services, has received special recognition at national and international levels. Zafrullah Chowdhury has a special contribution in expanding medical services in village and rural areas. For his contribution in the field of public health, he has received various awards and honors including the International Public Health Hero Award, Independence Day Award, Right Livelihood Award, Ramon Magsaysay Award, and Swedish Youth Prize.

His role was pioneering in formulating the National Drug Policy of Bangladesh in 1982. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, Zafrullah Chowdhury spoke on various issues of health, treatment and socio-politics. An excerpt of the interview taken by Mahbub Morshed on 13 March 2012 has been used as a quote in Prantik News.