Zafarullah Choudhuri
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Zafrullah Chowdhury (27 December 1941 – 11 April 2023) was a Bangladeshi public health activist. He was the founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, a rural healthcare organisation. He was known more for his work in formulating the Bangladesh National Drug Policy in 1982. Chowdhury's work in population control earned him the inaugural
Independence Day Award The Independence Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglade ...
, the highest civilian award in Bangladesh, in 1977. Among other awards, he was given
Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, ...
in 1985 and the
Right Livelihood Award The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob vo ...
in 1992 for his work in the public health sector.


Early life and career

Chowdhury spent his early childhood in
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
and later his family settled in East Pakistan (which later became Bangladesh). He was one of ten children born to his parents. After attending primary school in Nabakumar Institution at Bakshibazar, he studied at Jubilee School and then
Dhaka College Dhaka College (), informally known as DC, is a public educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. It is one of the oldest educational institutions in the subcontinent. It offers Honours degree, honours and Master's degree ...
. He studied medicine at
Dhaka Medical College Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1946, the college houses a medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on its campus. History Site during ...
, where he got involved with leftist political ideologies. As the general secretary of the Dhaka Medical College students' union, he held a press conference to expose the corruption at the hospital. After a turbulent student life, he finished his
MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...
degree in 1964 and left for the UK for post-graduate studies in general and vascular surgery. In 1971, he fought for independence during
Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...
. Chowdhury and Khaled Mosharraf were involved in setting up the Bangladesh Field Hospital a 480-bed Bangladesh Hospital for freedom fighters and the refugees. On 21 May, Khaled Mosharraf and Political Adviser of Sector 2 and 3, childhood friend of Zafrullah Chowdhury, R.K. Chowdhury came to the hospital and met Zafrullah Chowdhury. The hospital was run by a team of Bangladeshi doctors, medical students and volunteers. Women with no previous training in healthcare were trained within days to help out the patients. This experience in the field hospital led him to believe that an effective healthcare delivery system can be developed in rural Bangladesh by training women as a primary healthcare delivery platform. This achieved worldwide credibility when it was eventually published in ''
The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and also one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes ...
''.


Gonoshasthaya Kendra

In 1972, Chowdhury set up the Gonoshasthaya Kendra. The idea was introduced in a concept paper titled, 'Basic Health Care in Rural Bangladesh' in
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
. The centre focuses on providing basic healthcare to the rural areas. The centre also runs a university, vocational training centre, agricultural cooperatives, hospital, a printing press, community schools, and a generic drug manufacturing plant. Gonoshasthaya Kendra has been very successful in providing family planning services, and lowering maternal and infant mortality rates. Though limited in its reach, it pioneered the introduction of cheaper generic drugs. In 1973, Gonoshasthaya Kendra introduced a Rural Healthcare Insurance System, the first of its kind in Bangladesh. Critiques have pointed out that rather than being national, the centre's reach has been confined to specific areas. However, Chowdhury believed that public health is a state matter, it can never be left to the private sector.


National drug policy

Chowdhury gained prominence by being the driving force in formulating the Bangladesh National Drug Policy in 1982. Before that, 4,000 commercial drugs were available in the market, mostly manufactured by multinational companies or imported from abroad. Most of the drugs were out of reach for the majority of the people. Some of these drugs were unnecessary and even dangerous whereas the most essential 150 remained in short supply. National drug policy changed all that. Following
WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...
guidelines for the developing countries, the policy restricted the manufacturing and import of the number of drugs to 225. It emphasised the manufacturing of generic drugs and manufacturing them locally. The result has been the wider availability of drugs at drastically reduced prices. And today, Bangladesh has turned into a drug-exporting country. An analysis of the health sector of Bangladesh, which he was involved in 1987 and wrote along with Major General M.R. Choudhury (AFIP) as chairman and Dr. Yunus (Grameen Bank), was never published because of political reasons. However, it was highly appreciated by WHO .


Controversy

In 2015, the International Crimes Tribunal, which was set up to try perpetrators of war crimes committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, charged Chowdhury on charge of contempt of court and sentenced him to "one hour" of 'confinement in the dock inside the courtroom" and fined him 5000
taka The taka (, , sign: , code: BDT, short form: Tk) is the currency of Bangladesh. In Unicode, it is encoded at . Issuance of banknotes 10 and larger is controlled by Bangladesh Bank, while the 2 and 5 govt. notes are the responsibility of the ...
. The court found him guilty of contempt of court for his statement expressing concern over British journalist David Bergman's conviction. This came as a surprise to the public as being a freedom fighter, he was one of the vocal supporters of the controversial tribunal.


Illness and death

Chowdhury suffered from kidney disease,
septicaemia Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...
and liver problems after he was infected by
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. Despite doctors stating he was responding to treatment, Chowdhury died hours later on 11 April 2023, at the age of 81.


Awards

* 1974 – Swedish Youth Peace Prize * 1977 –
Independence Day Award The Independence Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglade ...
, Bangladesh * 1992 –
Right Livelihood Award The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob vo ...
, Sweden * 1985 –
Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, ...
for Community Leadership, Philippines * 2009 – Doctor of Humanitarian Service (DHS), World Organization of Natural Medicine, Toronto, Canada * 2010 – International Public Health Heroes Award, UC Berkeley, US * 2022 – "NRB (Non-Resident Bangladeshi) Liberation War Hero 1971" awarded by Voice for Global Bangladeshis, UK.


Personal life

Chowdhury was married to Shireen Huq. They have a son, Barish Chowdhury, and a daughter, Brishti Chowdhury.


References


External links

*
Gonoshasthaya Kendra


* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury, Zafrullah 1941 births 2023 deaths Dhaka College alumni Dhaka Medical College alumni Bangladeshi health activists Bangladeshi public health doctors Recipients of the Independence Award Ramon Magsaysay Award winners Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh