Daktar Bhai explained: “For the poor, by the poor, of the poor.” A cool summer breeze had been making the leaves of the surrounding trees rustle gently. I remember hearing the relaxing sound in between Daktar Bhai speaking. It had felt like the leaves were murmuring their consent with his words.
It was all very peaceful. No sounds of horns honking; no hustle-bustle of city life -- a refreshing break from the “modernisms” of Dhaka. There was no wi-fi, no smart-phones, except our own ones (which we’d been requested to make sure didn’t disrupt the peaceful environment). We were very much inside the remote areas of Modhupur, situated about 130km from the capital. We were at the Kailakuri Health Project -- saviour of numerous village people from all around. Dr Edric Baker, affectionately known as Daktar Bhai all around and the founder of this institution, had been telling us his life story.
Born in New Zealand, Edric Baker had wanted to be a doctor ever since the age of seven. His mother had been the inspiration behind him realising his dream so early. Not only had he wanted to be a doctor, he’d wanted to be one who would make a difference in the lives of those who needed it the most.
And that’s what he did. After he became a certified doctor, he spent time in Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, and finally came to Bangladesh. He’d been in Bangladesh for the last 32 years. And now, he will be laid to rest in Bangladesh’s soil forever, just as he had wished.
Through his Kailakuri Health Project (KHP), he united the poor people of that region to work together in improving the health of the people in their community. KHP has been treating around 30,000 to 40,000 patients each year.
The special thing about this place is that treatment for illnesses is affordable for the community. Poverty-stricken rural people who could otherwise never have afforded treatment in today’s general clinics and hospitals get a chance at a cure. KHP has 1,800 diabetic patients whom they treat, follow up on, and give insulin to, almost free of cost (just for Tk10 to Tk20 per month).
The mother and child care project of KHP takes care of 1,264 kids less than one year old, their mothers, and also 143 pregnant women from 19 villages in the area. KHP paramedics ride their bicycles to these families’ homes to check these patients, weigh them, and ascertain that they’re getting proper nutrition.
KHP also has a 100% cure rate in tuberculosis. When a patient doesn’t show up for a check-up or doesn’t pick up his or her medicine, KHP paramedics go to their homes and confront them to ensure that they’re following the prescriptions properly. These are practices established and developed by Daktar Bhai. Under the leadership of Daktar Bhai, an entire community soon became one big family.
Dr Edric Baker’s contribution in changing the lives of these people in Bangladesh may not be known by many, because he wasn’t a man of fame or publicity. But anyone who has ever visited Daktar Bhai’s Kailakuri has been entranced by the bonds of the people in the region, their simplicity, and their way of life.
Daktar Bhai drew his last breath on September 1, 2015.
Each and every person who has ever known him will no doubt feel a rush of agony upon hearing this. Because imagining KHP without Daktar Bhai’s authority is like having to imagine rain without clouds. What this individual has done for the inhabitants of this land binds him forever to the land itself. The love he has given our people is something many of us Bangladeshis are unable to give in a lifetime. He might be a New Zealander by birth, but he is a Bangladeshi at heart.
A few months ago, when Daktar Bhai fell ill and was thinking about retiring, I decided that I would write him something like a tribute, so that he knew how important of a role-model he had been to me. I wanted him to know how he had touched my life. But as unpredictable as life is, today I’m writing about him in remembrance, and not to him in person as I’d have liked to.
Daktar Bhai helped me realise how I’m meant to make a difference in this world. He showed me first-hand how it’s possible to change other lives with passion and dedication. He’s one of the people in my life who showed me how to live rich. Not the type of riches that money brings -- rather the riches from kindness, knowledge, and simplicity. He showed me that the life best lived is the life lived for the betterment of others. To sacrifice one’s own luxury to do that takes a big heart, an ignited passion, and tremendous courage.
I’m lucky to have had people like Dr Edric Baker in my life to show me how to live rich -- to realise that the simpler things in life are sometimes more important. And for that I will forever be grateful, for the opportunity to get to know such an unsung people’s hero.
Thank you for helping me find my way, Daktar Bhai. I’ll forever miss you sweetly calling me your “Rubiyala.” I’ll remember you always.