Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury: A physician of the poor

Bangladesh lost a valiant soul through the demise of Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, a freedom fighter who was famous as the “Physician of the Poor”.

Public health activist Dr Zafrullah advanced rural people’s access to medical care through the Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK), which was established in 1972 emphasising independent, self-reliant and people-orientated development.

Working originally in the health field, it has steadily expanded the scope of its work into additional important areas that affect the lives of the majority of rural-based Bangladeshis: education, nutrition, agriculture, employment generation, production of basic medicines and women’s emancipation.

In 1981, GK set up its pharma company and factory Gono Pharmaceuticals to make essential drugs of the highest quality at low cost. It has been a great success and now supplies an average of 5 per cent of all of Bangladesh’s drugs, but as much as 60 per cent of some categories. Half of its profits are reinvested, half go to GK’s social projects.

Dr Zafrullah breathed his last at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in the capital late Tuesday at the age of 81.

Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury fell seriously ill on April 5 and was taken to Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in the capital’s Dhanmondi. A medical board comprised of notable physicians was established on April 7 for his treatment. He was put on life support on April 10 after his condition deteriorated.

He had been suffering from various problems, of which kidney complications for a long time. He was also suffering from Septicemia. Since being infected with Covid-19, he has been suffering from liver problems as well. Lately he was suffering from old age complications for several days.

The prominent physician obtained his MBBS degree from Dhaka Medical College in 1966 and later completed master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University in the United States. He was in a surgical training in London when Bangladesh’s armed struggle for freedom started in 1971.

Dr Zafrullah rushed home and established a field hospital to treat the wounded freedom fighters. In the independent Bangladesh he founded Gonoshasthaya Kendra, his signature work, to provide healthcare services to poor and unprivileged stake in the society in 1972.

After independence, Dr Zafrullah became more popular for his various social and political activities. He was always vocal for human rights, democracy and social justice in Bangladesh.

Dr Zafrullah will be remembered for his role in formulating the Bangladesh National Drug Policy in 1982. He was a key adviser to the Bangladesh government in 1982 when it drew up its Essential Drugs Act, proscribing 1,700 dangerous or useless drugs and setting a unique example to other countries of how to control their market for therapeutic drugs.

Before the formulation of the policy local market was filled with imported and multi-national companies’ drugs. Most of the drugs were out of reach for majority of the people due to high prices. Some of these drugs were unnecessary and even dangerous whereas the most essential 150 remained in short supply. The policy changed the situation.

Following WHO guidelines for the developing countries, the policy restricted manufacturing and import of a number of drugs. It emphasised manufacturing of generic drugs and manufacturing them locally. The initiative made wider availability of drugs at drastically reduced prices and now Bangladesh is a drug exporting country.

He won a number of prestigious awards from home and abroad for his contribution in public health services and also for the contribution to the society.