We remember Mr. Mafizuddin Ahmed [Born January 1, 1925 Died February 28, 2007]

Mr. Mafizuddin Ahmed, former Head of Clinical Pathology, Laboratory Sciences Division, served from 1963 in the Pakistan-SEATO Cholera Research Laboratory and retired in 1989 from ICDDR,B. He passed away on February 28, 2007 at the PG Hospital in Dhaka from complications of inoperable cancers. He was 82 years old. In 2004, Mr. Mafiz wrote the following about his 26 years of service:

After joining in CRL in 1963, I got the opportunity to teach paramedical students (laboratory technicians). I was requested [to join CRL] by the Health Ministry of our Bangladesh [East Pakistan] Government, through Mr. MM Rahman. I was feeling from the beginning of service that we have no praying place (mosque) in our institute. I put this matter to the Director, Dr. WB Greenough, with Mr. MR Bashir and other employees.

I have got a chance to set up a Clinical Pathology Laboratory in Dammam, Saudi Arabia and improve laboratory work in Matlab also. I am very much happy to fulfill these above mentioned matters before my retirement. Now I am getting preparation for my next world.

His colleague, Dr. Abdulla Majid who now lives in Kuwait, offered the following insights after the death of “one of the most reliable, dedicated and faithful friends of old CRL… my personal association with him was very close and was beyond the office relationship… after joining CRL hospital in 1965 as a physician. All of us were located on the ground floor of the [IPH] building. During the working periods we had to have continuous interaction with the clinical pathology laboratory. During those days CRL was going through continuous changes as was required to serve the needs of an n evolving research hospital. The clinical lab was not only catering for the need of the need of the clinicians but was also trying to serve the demand of the research projects.

“The entire CRL was small and had barely 150-200 employees. Mr. Mafiz with his contingent of 12/13 personnel tried his best to satisfy the needs of the entire CRL. Like any honest and strict department head, Mr. Mafiz was at times not so popular because of his honest and strict principles. But in the long run all of us realized how honest he was. He was a religious person and this was reflected in his personal life. He took time to advise us for learning Islam and be honest to the Centre. He undertook genuine and untiring efforts to set up methods for the quick diagnosis of Cholera e.g. Dark Field microscopy and to estimate quickly the dehydration by using the copper sulphate solution. I clearly remember his microscopic methods of stool examination and underlining the statement “amoebic exudates” or stool microscopy suggests Shigella infection. His counting of pus cells and RBC in the stool microscopy was so accurate and reliable that the hospital physicians started the treatment without waiting for the culture results. Since then almost 40 years have passed, but I still find his stool examinations were very unique. I tried to replicate his methods in Europe and some places in the Middle East but the man behind the machine was not there, like Mr. Mafiz.”

“We, the hospital physicians who worked with him at the early phase of the CRL, will never be able to forget Mr. Mafizuddin Ahmed as a very honest friend of CRL and will remember his contribution to the Centre when it was required most. The present ICDDR,B was built on the foundation laid by some very important persons. Mr. Mafiz is one of the most important of these persons. May Allah bless his soul with eternal rest.”

Former CRL Clinician and ICDDR,B Director, Dr. William B. Greenough, wrote

“I recruited Mr. Mafizuddin Ahmed as the first hematology lab technician in 1962 when the hospital was going to open. He set up clinical pathology for the cholera hospital and recruited later technicians. He was a gracious man who had obtained his training in the Pakistan Army, as I recall. He served as invaluable person who was always meticulous in his work and helpful to patient needs. I was fond of him and respected his dedication to the cholera hospital and centre. I am saddened by his death and convey my deepest sympathy to his family and friends. I shall miss him but his memory remains with me vividly as an early pioneer of the work at CRL.”

Clinical Nutritionist, Mr. MA Wahed, added “many times I walked with Mr. Mafiz to and from his residence in Mohakhali to the Centre. On the way, Mr. Mafiz used to shake hands with all the kids found along on the street. On being asked why he did this, he told me that our Prophet did so. Upon arrival at the lab, he dressed-up with the lab coat and starting walking around most patients in the ward and kept telling them to have trust upon God. Most patients called him a doctor.

“If any patient was in need of a blood transfusion, Mr. Mafiz hunted around to get a volunteer. I do not remember exactly the year that Molly Bang came to Bangladesh and gave us some money to open a fund to help patients who were unable to buy medicines or blood. Mr. Mafiz maintained that fund (I do not know whether there was money left – perhaps it was exhausted).

“It was Mr. Mafiz who inspired me to be a faculty at the Paramedical Institute where I started in 1977 and continued until the end of 1981. I was also Board examiner during the whole period. I then had a chance to stay with him in Dammam (1983-84). He did the same hand-shaking practice with all children he passed by. He had particular food habits and he used to cook his own food. Sometimes I used to share food with him.

He was undoubtedly a good Muslim and most Saudis liked him much more than us. It was him who almost compelled us to go to the mosque on regular basis. On his inspiration, I did the Omrah-hajj. In early 1984, on the day of Eid-e-Miladunnabi (Prophet’s birthday), we all went to mosque. After Esha prayer, we call came back but Mr. Mafiz was found to be missing. We were anxiously waiting for his return. Suddenly an Egyptian Engineer, our neighbour, came and reported to us that Mr. Mafiz was arrested by Police who took him to the police station. We were so puzzled. The Egyptian friend accompanied us to the station where he was talked to the police in Arabic. Finally we came to know that Mr. Mafiz, on the way back from the mosque, was distributing toffee/candies to everyone he met in front of the mosque and on the street as part of his joy due to Eid-e-Miladunnabi. The police suspected that this foreign gentleman might have ill motives (in Saudi Arabia they never observe such occasions that way). Our Egyptian friend was able to make the police understand this was normal practice in the subcontinent in connection with Eid-e-Miladunnabi. The policemen were laughing at us and finally released him.”