‘Sister Rose’ known for humanitarian service, wants Bangladesh’s citizenship as final wish

In 1964, at just 25 years of age, Jillian Margaret Rose left her native England and travelled to what is now Bangladesh. As a nurse, she worked tirelessly across different parts of the country, delivering medical care wherever it was needed.

Although she returned to England for brief periods, she always came back to Bangladesh. Eventually, she settled in the remote village of Bollovepur in Mujibnagar upazila, Meherpur.

Since 1996, she has lived there continuously, dedicating nearly 30 years to serving the local community.

From children to the elderly, people of all ages know her as “Sister Rose”. Some affectionately refer to her as the “Mother of humanity”. Officially, her name is Jillian Margaret Rose.

Now 87 years old, she continues her daily routine of providing care. From morning until evening, services operate at the Bollovepur Hospital under her supervision.

As she approaches the final stage of her life, she has expressed one last wish: to receive Bangladeshi citizenship. She has formally applied to the Government of Bangladesh in this regard.

Bollovepur village lies approximately 15 kilometres from Meherpur district town. In 1889, an English missionary nurse named Miss Allen established a clinic in Bollovpur under the supervision of a priest.

That facility has since developed into what is now known as Bollovpur Hospital. The 30-bed hospital currently employs two MBBS physicians and 25 staff nurses.

The institution operates through funds from Jillian M Rose’s pension from England, along with financial assistance from acquaintances there.

Although the hospital primarily provides maternal and child healthcare, it also offers emergency services. In addition, Rose has established an elderly care home adjacent to the hospital.

Hospital officials and Jillian M Rose confirmed that she was born in 1939 in southern England. She lost her father during the Second World War and grew up with her mother and one brother.

In 1964, she joined the Sisterhood Mission at the Oxford Mission in Barishal. She spent five years working in various regions before moving to Malaysia.

Following the Liberation War of 1971, she returned to serve countless displaced men, women and children in the Khulna region. She joined Bollovepur Hospital in 1981.

Due to her mother’s illness, she returned to England in 1986. After her mother’s death around 1995, she came back to Bollovepur in 1996 and has remained there ever since. 

Bollovepur Hospital continues to receive a steady influx of patients. All expectant mothers admitted there give birth through normal delivery. Upon confirmation of pregnancy, mothers obtain a service card for Tk 1,500.

The hospital then provides multiple consultations and admission facilities up to and following childbirth. It also delivers medical care for infants.

Men also receive treatment at the facility. The outpatient department examines patients and provides medicines free of charge, which ensures a continuous flow of visitors.

Rose has also established a specialised ‘Baby Care Unit’ within the hospital. The facility includes incubators for low-birth-weight newborns.

The adjacent elderly care home currently accommodates 17 women and eight men.

Furthermore, she has founded a nursing training institute. She has also set up a computer training centre for students from local ethnic minority communities.

In addition to her work in Bollovepur, Rose visits neighbouring villages, including Ratanpur and Anandabas, once a week to provide medical services to women and children.

People from all social backgrounds, professions and faiths seek treatment from her.

At approximately 11:00 am on Monday (23 February), a visit to the hospital revealed a crowd of women with their infants gathered outside a consultation room.

Some sat on benches, while others stood waiting. Inside, “Sister Rose” attended to patients. Upon introduction, she invited us to take a seat.

Despite the visible weight of age bending her frame and the wrinkles lining her hands, Sister Rose held a pen firmly between her fingers.

She listened attentively to her patients and wrote prescriptions in both English and Bengali.

She spoke in a very soft voice. Patients responded to questions asked in Bengali, while she recorded their details carefully. The mothers appeared pleased with the sincere care they received.

Shabana Khatun arrived from Mahajanpur village with her three month old son, Rahmat, who had caught a cold.

Shabana said she believed her child would recover after receiving medicine from Sister Rose. She added that Sister Rose enjoys a strong reputation in the area.

A young woman named Nurtaz, who came from Bagoan village, said she was six months pregnant.

She had already visited Sister Rose three times for antenatal care and felt very reassured by the treatment. She expressed her intention to deliver her baby naturally under Sister Rose’s supervision.

Another woman, Sumaiya, left the hospital smiling with her three-day old newborn.

She stated that she had followed Sister Rose’s advice from the beginning of her pregnancy and had given birth naturally. After staying three days at the hospital, she was returning home.

After completing her consultations, Sister Rose left the room and proceeded to her office and then to the laboratory.

Nurse Juliet Gomez, who works closely with her, remarked that Sister Rose rarely engages in extended conversations with anyone other than patients.

During brief moments between tasks, Sister Rose spoke about her life’s purpose. She said, “Serving people is my core objective. It is my love. I wish to remain devoted to this.”

In a gentle, faltering voice, she reflected on her memories of home, “I sometimes remember my school friends. However, the love I receive from the people who come here for treatment and from the villagers makes me unwilling to go anywhere. I want to live simply among ordinary people.”

Sister Rose lives alone in a single-storey building within the hospital compound. She keeps two dogs and a cat for company, along with two cows.

She rises at dawn each day and conducts ward rounds by 9:00 am. She continues outpatient services until the afternoon. She does not accept any remuneration for her work and manages her personal expenses with very modest means.

She has learned Bengali songs and, mentioning Rabindranath Tagore with reverence, said, “I learned a song that I love very much.”

In recognition of her humanitarian service, the United Kingdom honoured Rose in 2000 with the prestigious Order of the British Empire (OBE).

However, she did not travel to England to receive the award. Instead, the then British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, David Carter, presented the honour to her at Bollovepur Hospital.

Jillian Margaret Rose wishes to spend the remainder of her life serving the people of Bangladesh and to be laid to rest on its soil. She has applied for Bangladeshi citizenship on several occasions.

Most recently, on 10 October last year, the then Mujibnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Palash Mondal, formally informed the Deputy Commissioner in writing regarding her application.

Simultaneously, Alfred Binimoy Biswas, administrator and accountant of Bollovepur Hospital, submitted an application with all necessary documentation to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The current UNO of Mujibnagar, Saiful Huda, stated that he recently assumed office.

He understands that his predecessor had forwarded a letter concerning Jillian Rose’s citizenship to the ministry through the Deputy Commissioner, although he does not know the latest status.

Alfred Binimoy Biswas told Prothom Alo, “It would be highly appropriate if the government grants her Bangladeshi citizenship while allowing her to retain her British citizenship. She has sacrificed everything and continues to serve selflessly even at the final stage of her life. The government of Bangladesh can certainly honour her in this way.”