The poor’s doctor, Dr Edric Baker, was laid to rest beside his own healthcare centre at Kailakuri in Madhupur, Tangail yesterday.
The New Zealand-born doctor was locally known as “Daktar Bhai,” who dedicated most his life catering to the health needs of poor people in Madhupur area.
He died on Tuesday afternoon after suffering from a heart attack on Sunday, sources from the healthcare centre told the Dhaka Tribune.
His burial was attended by Zafarullah Chaudhury, director of Savar Ganashashtha Kendra, Md Mahbub Hossain, deputy commissioner of Tangail, and Golam Ahad, district information officer, among others.
The air is heavy in Madhupur and the surrounding areas. People were seen mourning their beloved doctor. Other than his mother, four brothers and two sisters in New Zealand, Dr Baker also left behind many well-wishers and thousands of poor patients in Tangail and adjoining districts.
Born into a noble family in New Zealand in 1941, Dr Baker obtained his medical degree from Otego Medical College in Dunedin in 1965. After completing his internship in Wellington, Baker joined the government medical team and served in Vietnam until 1975.
He first came to Bangladesh in 1976 and stayed here for a week – the week-long visit was enough to convince him that this is where he wanted to be.
He came back in 1979 and joined a Christian mission hospital in Meherpur. After two years, he transferred to Kumudini Hospital in Mirzapur, Tangail.
In 1983, he joined a clinic run by the Church of Bangladesh in Madhupur. He also learnt Bangla and became fluent in the language, in order to better understand his patients’ ailments, taking the course at Jalchatra Christian Mission in Madhupur.
A few years later, he set up Kailakuri Healthcare Centre, where he spent the rest of his days serving to the poor.
