Try and be someone like Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury

Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, a fearless freedom fighter and founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, passed away on Tuesday. As I live abroad, the news of his death reached me about an hour late. Words fail me as I am trying to describe the feeling of deep sorrow that washed over me upon hearing the news.

While we get bogged down by a simple bout of fever, it was incredible to see how Zafrullah Sir kept working despite his age and many physical ailments.

I worked with Zafrullah Sir for two years. During the pandemic, he contracted Covid and I observed him closely during that time. We were conducting research at the Gonoshasthaya Kendra laboratory in Savar and were finding success in our research on antigen and antibody testing kits. It was around Eid and most scientists were on leave. I, along with my associate Sagar, was working in the laboratory when Zafrullah Sir called me on my phone and said, "Bijan, I have a fever."

I apprised him of the symptoms, to which he replied, "Yes, I think I have them."

I asked him to send over a sample. Owing to the sparse traffic, the sample reached us within 45 minutes from Dhaka. We used our homegrown antigen kit to conduct the test and found him to be Covid positive. I tested the sample four more times, and the result was the same each time.

Confused about my next course of action, I called Monju Bhai (Dr Mohibullah Khandaker Monju). He asked me to keep the matter under wraps and assured me that he would take care of it. I turned my phone off since I knew Zafrullah Sir would call me to know the test results. I didn't know what to tell him. After returning home from the lab, I eventually dozed off, but woke up soon to see that TV channels were broadcasting the news of Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury being infected with Covid, with my reference.

I called him immediately. From the other end, he asked, "What happened, Bijon? Where is your mobile phone?" I replied, "It ran out of charge." He questioned, "Is it a drained battery, or is it that you do not want to tell me directly? Do you think I will die of Covid?"

I replied, "I mean, no, not that…"

"Listen, Covid can't kill me. You should continue your work properly," replied an unfazed Zafrullah.

To anyone infected with Covid back then, death felt imminent. But it didn't affect Zafrullah's willpower. In spite of his multiple health conditions, the manner in which he dismissed his Covid diagnosis rendered me speechless. I requested him to stay safe.

I have met many individuals, both home and abroad, but very few of them possessed the mental prowess of Zafrullah. I witnessed many, younger than him, fearful and demoralised when they were infected with Covid. But Zafrullah was a different kind of survivor.

He tried to stay connected with each and every noble effort. After hearing about the fire at Bangabazar, he went there too. He dedicated his life towards the betterment of people in this country. I don't think the country will ever be blessed with another individual like him. Many people say many things about him. But I would like to urge them to first try and be like Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury; try to replicate his epic efforts. If possible, like Zafrullah, dedicate your own life to the betterment of people.

His courage was evident in all his endeavours. When we announced our intent to make the antigen kits, almost everyone was against us. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) said this kit cannot be used for tests; it won't be able to detect coronavirus.

Dr Zafrullah asked me, "Bijon, are you 100 percent confident about your kit?"

I told him, "Yes, 100 percent."

"Then don't fear anything. Since you know the subject matter, you should continue your work. Never think about the money. Regarding any issues, talk to me directly."

In Bangladesh's context, this was a rare course of action. Zafrullah had an innate ability to work and understand the nature of research. If anything was amiss, he could spot it right away.

Our research bore fruit and we launched the antigen kit. Zafrullah was emotionally connected with this effort. However, we could not introduce it to the market, which frustrated him. But it's not that he was terribly upset. He would always tell me, "Look, Bijon, the objective of Gonoshasthaya Kendra is to make people aware. We cannot possibly provide healthcare to each and every person. However, if we can make everyone aware, then the number of health-related incidents will reduce.

"By developing this kit, we could increase awareness among people. Since we initiated the work, the whole world is now enjoying the benefits of antigen kit-based testing. If we hadn't gotten the ball rolling, no one would have taken this path. That is success, worth more than a Tk 100 crore business. Gonoshasthaya doesn't work for profit."

In Bangladesh, there was a big gap regarding coronavirus tests; such a large population could not be served rapidly through RT-PCR testing. But the antigen test kit can spread from home to home; just like home pregnancy test kits. Though a lot of people opposed the antigen test, Zafrullah Sir stood by us and continued to show strong resolve.

I first met Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury in 1992 or 1993. Gonoshasthaya Kendra had a vaccine development centre. As I was interested in vaccines, I went there after returning from abroad. After an interview, he and Dr Abul Kashem Chowdhury offered me a job there, but as the government had sent me abroad for PhD, there were some restrictions, and eventually I could not join there.

I met him again in January 2020. Even after all those years, he recognised me instantly, and said, "You have returned, after all this time?"

Gonoshasthaya Kendra is the brainchild of this man. He had many dreams around it, and was able to fulfill most of them.

The role Gonoshasthaya Kendra played in the Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps is remarkable. Almost 1,200 staff members worked there, but most of us don't know about these efforts.

He tried to stay connected with each and every noble effort. After hearing about the fire at Bangabazar, he went there too. He dedicated his life towards the betterment of people in this country. I don't think the country will ever be blessed with another individual like him.

Many people say many things about him. But I would like to urge them to first try and be like Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury; try to replicate his epic efforts. If possible, like Zafrullah, dedicate your own life to the betterment of people.

Death is inevitable. His departure is part of life's natural course. But we have to hold steadfast to his ethics. This duty falls upon each and every member of Gonoshasthaya Kendra. If we want a joyful afterlife for him, we must take his brainchild forward, and that progression has to follow the path shown by none other than Zafrullah Sir himself. Gonoshasthaya Kendra and all its various institutes should be led under able leadership.

My request to the government and each and every individual of Bangladesh is to help Gonoshasthaya Kendra continue its journey of serving humanity.

Translated from Bangla by Mohammed Ishtiaque Khan.

Dr Bijon Kumar Sil is an internationally reputed scientist and researcher.
(During the pandemic, Dr Bijon Kumar Sil worked at Gono University researching antigen and antibody test kits under the tutelage of Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury. The kit was successfully developed, but due to several complexities, it could not be marketed.)