A guiding light for health sector
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed’s enormous contribution to the country’s health sector helped flourish many organisations and institutions, which played important roles in further developing the service-oriented sector, said speakers at a memorial programme yesterday.
Beside his direct contributions, Sir Fazle played an instrumental role in shaping various healthcare-related movements and emerged as an avatar whenever they faced crisis, speakers added.
The Bangladesh chapter of People’s Health Movement (PHM), a global network of grassroots health activists, arranged the programme at Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GSK) in the capital’s Dhanmondi.
Recalling his nearly five-decade visionary journey in the field of development, Gonoshasthaya founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury said Sir Fazle’s most significant contribution was in the health sector.
Once, mortality rate due to diarrhoea was very high in Bangladesh. It was Sir Fazle who waged a movement and reached door-to-door at the grassroots with the concept of preparing oral saline and saved thousands of lives, Zafrullah said.
Zafrullah said they are going to launch an international standard kidney transplant centre at the Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in June. “Our heartiest wish is that the centre will be named after Sir Fazle,” he said.
Dr Mohib Ullah Khondoker, coordinator of GSK dialysis centre, said Sir Fazle’s contribution in launching the centre was significant.
Former president of Bangladesh Medical Association Prof Rashid-e-Mahbub said despite not being a physician, Sir Fazle understood the country’s health sector very well. He said Brac also undertook programmes in this regard, especially related to research and survey on health issues.
Sir Fazle reached out to the voiceless and he did it with generosity, said Prof Rashid.
PHM Bangladesh President Zakir Hossain said they faced severe crisis in arranging their fourth global conference in 2018 in Bangladesh. It was Sir Fazle who came forward and helped arranging the conference successfully, he said.
Addressing the memorial event, Brac Chairperson Hossain Zillur Rahman said it was a great surprise for him when Sir Fazle proposed his name for the chairperson’s role last year. Not just initiatives, Sir Fazle always gave importance to their implementation and success, he added.
The memorial event also recalled contributions of global public health movement leader Amit Sengupta, who died in November 2018, and PHM’s global vice president David Sanders who died in August last year.
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