Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury no more

Veteran freedom fighter and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury has passed away. He breathed his last at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Tuesday night (inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun).

Mamun Mostafi, who was in charge of a medical board formed for Zafrullah’s treatment, announced the news of the death at 11:35pm.

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.