People to pay last tribute to Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury Thursday at Shaheed Minar
The body of veteran freedom fighter and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury will be taken to central Shaheed Minar on Thursday for three hours -- from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Along with giving guard of honour, people from all walks of life will pay their last respects to him there. Now, his body has been kept at Birdem hospital morgue.
Gonoshasthaya Kendra Trustee Board chairman Altafunnessa came up with the development on Wednesday at a press conference at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in the capital's Dhanmondi.
The chairman said the first namaz-e-janaza of Zafrullah Chowdhury will be held at Suhrawardy Udyan at 2:30 pm on Thursday. Then on Friday his body will be taken to Gonoshasthaya Kendra in Savar where his second namaz-e-janaza will be held.
Dhaka University professor Asif Nazrul, Ganosamhati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki, Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna and Aaleya Chowdhury, younger sister of Dr Zafrullah, were present in the press conference.
He breathed his last at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Tuesday night.
The 81-year-old Zafrullah had been suffering from kidney complications for a long time and various old age complications lately. As his condition deteriorated, Dr Zafrullah was admitted to Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital on Wednesday. He was put on life support on Monday.
Dr Zafrullah was a vascular surgeon and public health expert. During Liberation War in 1971, Zafrullah and others set up Bangladesh Hospital in India for injured freedom fighters and the refugees. Dr Zafrullah was one of the pioneers behind formulating the Bangladesh National Drug Policy in 1982.
He set up the Gonoshasthaya Kendra for treatment of underprivileged people in 1972. Dr Zafrullah was born in Chattogram’s Raujan upazila to Humayun Morshed Chowdhury and Hasina Begum on 27 December in 1941.
He was the eldest of ten siblings. Dr Zafrullah was feted with numerous national and international awards including Independence Award and Ramon Magsaysay Award.