National Professor Brigadier (retd) Abdul Malik, who established the first cardiac unit in Bangladesh in 1970 and was thereby known as the father of cardiology among the medical fraternity, has passed away at the age of 95.
He had been undergoing treatment for age-related complications at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and he died at around 9:30am on Tuesday, Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, a professor at the hospital, told Dhaka Tribune.
His first namaz-e-janaza will be held at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) after Zuhr prayers and another one later on Wednesday at the National Heart Foundation in Mirpur.
Abdul Malik would be laid to rest in his home district, Sylhet on Wednesday, his nephew Jalal Uddin Taz said.
Prof Malik won the Independence Award in 2004 and was appointed national professor in 2006.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Dr Abdul Malik.
In a condolence message, the premier said Dr Malik had been the pioneer of cardiovascular disease treatment in Bangladesh, adding: "He was a successful doctor, renowned teacher and social worker... His contribution to the field of cardiovascular disease treatment in Bangladesh will be remembered forever."
“Prof Malik was not just a physician. He was more than that. He was a rare physician who could see health beyond just treating patients. He prioritized prevention and research aspects, and that is why he also worked extensively on tobacco control. He was a visionary, a different kind of doctor,” Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury remembered his teacher.
Born on December 1, 1929 in Dakshin Surma upazila of Sylhet, Abdul Malik earned his MBBS degree in 1954 from Dhaka Medical College, before joining the Pakistan Army Medical Corps in June 1955.
After receiving training from the UK, he set up a cardiac unit at Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Pakistan (now Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology-AFIC), in March 1966 and trained the nurses and other relevant staffers to run the unit.
In March 1970, this centre performed the first successful open-heart surgery in Pakistan.
Later, he joined the Institute of Postgraduate Medicine and Research in Dhaka (now Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University) in June 1970 and established a cardiac unit and worked as a professor of cardiology till June 1978.
He was the founder-director cum professor of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases.
He worked there from July 1978 to November 1989. At this institute the first open heart surgery in Bangladesh was performed on September 18, 1981.
He also established the National Center for Control of Rheumatic Fever and Heart Diseases and worked as a project director from 1987 to 1989 when he retired from government service.
He was the founder-president of the National Heart Foundation, which was formed at his initiative with some medical and non-medical social workers in 1978.
He was awarded the Independence Award, the highest civilian award of Bangladesh, in 2004 for contribution to medical science.
Our special correspondent, Nurul Islam Hasib, and Sylhet correspondent, Serajul Islam, contributed to this report
