Whenever we see any successful nation, it is always some heroes who ignore all the odds for the sake of their motherland. Some people always remain behind the limelight but give their heart and soul just for the love of their country. Muhammad Ibrahim was one of the blessings the nation ever had.
Prof Muhammad Ibrahim, the national professor of Bangladesh is the one who laid the foundation of the field of medicine and diabetes in the country. Besides being such a prominent physician, he was a gifted teacher, a notable social reformer, and an incredible organizer as well. He was the founder of the Diabetic Association of both Pakistan and Bangladesh. He came with the motto that “no diabetic patient should die untreated, unfed, or unemployed, even if she or he is poor”. Holding his hand, a small outpatient clinic of the commencing Diabetic Association at Segunbagicha became a prestigious BIRDEM at Shahbagh. Presently BIRDEM has been designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre on Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolic Disorders, the only kind in Asia. Today’s prestigious BIRDEM is a seemingly endless journey from Segunbagicha to Shahbagh which is a tale of the utmost devotion and dedication of a prominent personality Muhammad Ibrahim.
Early Life & Background
Muhammad Ibrahim was born on 31 December 1911. His birthplace is in the village of Kharera in Bharatpur, Murshidabad, Bengal Presidency, British India (now in West Bengal). He was born as Sheikh Abu Muhammad Ibrahim. But later he got wide recognition as Prof. Muhammad Ibrahim.
Muhammad Ibrahim was a very bright student from his childhood. He completed his matriculation with distinction at Salar Edward English High School, Murshidabad. Later, he finished Intermediate in one of the most reputed colleges in Calcutta, Calcutta Islamia College (now Maulana Azad College). In 1933, he got the opportunity to start his dream as a medical student at Calcutta Medical College. After five years, he concluded his journey as a medical student and became a doctor. In 1938, he officially started his dream of being a successful doctor.
Contributions
Muhammad Ibrahim stepped into his career in 1937 as a professor of Medicine at Calcutta Medical College. Next year, he was appointed an emergency medical officer and senior demonstrator at Calcutta Medical College. In 1945, he was designated as a resident physician at Calcutta Medical College and fulfilled his responsibility till 1947. After the partition of India and Pakistan, Muhammad Ibrahim set his mind to come to East Pakistan. There he joined as a Civil Surgeon and Professor of Medicine Department at Chittagong Medical College and Hospital. In 1948, he achieved MRCP from England and the next year, FCCP from the American College of Chest Physicians. In 1950, he returned to Dhaka and served as Professor of Medicine and Additional Physician at Dhaka Medical College.
In 1956, he took the most significant step of his career and founded the Diabetic Association in Dhaka, Karachi, and Lahore. Later, in 1964, he established the foundation in West Pakistan as well. His tremendous interest in the Diabetes sector made many people wonder. Because during that time, diabetes was not as severe as it is now. There were only a few people who were affected by this. That’s the reason, everyone questioned his huge steps against diabetes. But no matter how many obstacles he faced, he never took back his feet. Because he was absolutely aware of the devastating reflection of diabetes. After involving in huge research, he realized that diabetes is not curable through only doctors or medicines. Discipline is the key to the cure where both doctors and patients are required to be involved in the treatment. That’s why Muhammad Ibrahim defined it as socio-medical care.
Muhammad Ibrahim was well aware that his dream could never be fulfilled alone. It needs a lot of people to set up the whole criteria. So, he shared his thoughts and soon a group of social workers, professionals, and philanthropists came forward. With their help, he laid the foundation of the Diabetic Association of Pakistan on 28 February 1956. But at the start, the organization was not as vast as it seems now. Diabetic care in Dhaka was set up with only 23 patients in a tiny tin-shed building at Segun Bagicha. He offered primary care to all diabetic patients free of charge. Even rich diabetic patients were not permitted to pay for primary care. But they were always welcome to contribute to the association if they wanted. The association raised its funds through motivational programs.
In 1980, he set up the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM) in Dhaka. Later, the outpatient center of the Bangladesh Diabetic Association was also shifted there. The institute was furnished with two large buildings. He even organized an academy for postgraduate education in endocrine, diabetes, and metabolism in BIRDEM. The structure of treatment in BIRDEM was fabricated so high that it has been acclaimed to be a model for Southeast Asia. In tremendous recognition of its extensive and innovative highly qualified service, it was designated the “WHO Collaborating Centre for Developing Community Oriented Programmes for Prevention and Control of Diabetes”.
Dr Ibrahim knew very well of the necessity of service sustained to the patients. That’s why he was very humble to his patients and always inspired doctors to serve patients with utmost empathy as well. “We are grateful to you for giving us the opportunity to serve, ” which he often used to tell his patients. Whatever the circumstances were, he was all the time greatly concerned about his patients. That’s why he always tried to advance all the aspects as much as possible. He attached several sections like health education, nutritional education, social welfare, and rehabilitation in the diabetes healthcare delivery system.
For more than three decades, Dr Ibrahim elevated awareness about diabetes through health education, motivation, and free-of-charge as well. He used to believe that an institution could never achieve its excellence and goals by bricks, mortar, or costly machines, but through its human resources. That’s why he spent his entire life developing skilled human resources. He also laid the foundation of the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Training for Applied Nutrition (BIRTAN) and Rehabilitation and Vocational Training Centre (RVTC) to expand low-cost nutrition and give vocational training to unemployed and poor diabetic patients.
The institution also set some goals and objectives as part of its aim. These involved sustaining complete healthcare, including prevention and rehabilitation for all patients through the association. It also expanded these services to offer affordable healthcare by way of self-sustaining centers of excellence, creating specialized and qualified manpower such as technicians, physicians, nurses, and so on. They also focused on enhancing the development of human resources, maintaining high ethical standards, developing leadership in healthcare along with a dedicated management system, manufacturing medicines, and developing industries for diabetic and health foods as well. Following the philosophy and guidance of its honorable founder, the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh has held on to its motto that, “no diabetic patient should die untreated or unfed, even if he or she is poor, and that all people shall be provided with affordable health care services”.
In the mid-fifties, when the program of the Family Planning Association of Bangladesh began its journey for the first time, Muhammad Ibrahim became a founder member. Besides, he also established a family planning section at BIRDEM as a motivational work. Besides all this social work, he also fulfilled his responsibilities in the mid-1970s as the advisor to the president with the rank of minister in charge of the Ministry of Health and Population Control and Social Welfare. He also introduced the National Population Council for the first time being instrumental in formulating the population control policy of the government.
Personal Life
Besides being such a great physician, Muhammad Ibrahim was a man of incredibly humble personality as well. He always felt grateful to serve the nation. Dr Ibrahim was a humble person with deep empathy and compassion, especially for needy persons. His steps of providing treatment for free opened doors for thousands to reduce their pain.
Muhammad Ibrahim was also a teacher of great discipline and punctuality. His devotion to his duty and responsibilities made him exceptional. He always tried to instill confidence among his students and encouraged them to build the habit of deducting reasoning and adherence to clinical methods. That’s the reason, he was the eye of the students who not only made them better physicians but rather great human beings as well.
Dr Ibrahim was married to a beautiful lady named Neelima Ibrahim. She was the Director General of Bangla Academy. Besides, she was a prominent writer and educationalist during her time. She was also the one who always stood beside her spouse, Muhammad Ibrahim during all his ups and downs. Neelima inspired him to do all his humanitarian social works as well. That’s how the couple became such a shine to the nation.
Legacy
“I am grateful to you for the opportunity you have given me to serve you”, this was the motto of the most talented son of the nation who gave up all his life for the sake of his motherland. Muhammad Ibrahim was not just a great physician, he was a man of great commitment who faced a lot of ups and downs but never took back a step only to serve his people. He was also conscious of the quality of the treatment. That’s the reason, he started to build human resources and became the first National Professor of Bangladesh.
He started his dream in 1957 by setting up a tiny outpatient clinic at Segun Bagicha, Dhaka which is now converted into 59 branches in 59 districts headquarters and 2 sub-affiliated centers in Bheramara and Satkania as well. It is his utmost dedication and hard work that made the tiny tin shed clinic turn into such a vast institution. The association uplifted itself so far that it became the first such in Asia. Even the organization has enhanced its attribution so high that it was delegated as a “WHO Collaborating Centre for Developing Community-oriented Programs for Prevention and Control of Diabetes” for the first time in Asia.
Dr Ibrahim just didn’t hold himself by offering diabetes treatment. Till his last breath, he worked for the advancement of the institute and the betterment of all the other aspects. He offered free of charge for all the primary treatments. So that no one, especially the poor has to lack proper treatment. He even arranged meals for the patients to not let them starve for a single day. Dr Ibrahim always motivated his staff and students to serve the patients with utmost sincerity and humbly. He also structured the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Training for Applied Nutrition (BIRTAN) to make people aware of low-cost nutrition and later, the Rehabilitation and Vocational Training Centre (RVTC) to provide vocational training to unemployed and poor patients.
Besides serving from the front line, Muhammad Ibrahim also served the nation through his sincere work in the ministry as well. He was the first one who could clearly envision how the population could become a great barrier to his country. That’s the reason, he took a step to formulate the population control policy of the government and introduced the National Population Council. He even structured a family planning section at BIRDEM for the first time to spread awareness of the fact. That’s why he was appointed as an in-charge of the Ministry of Health and Population Control. The Government of Bangladesh gave him the responsibility of an adviser to the President as well. To honor his prominent contribution to the betterment of socio-medicare services, the association set up another Institute of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh, “Ibrahim Medical College” after his name. Besides, in remembrance of him, Muhammad Ibrahim’s death anniversary is observed as ‘Diabetic Service Day”.
Awards
As the nation was blessed with such a great son, his motherland also didn’t fail to recall to honor him. In his vast successful career, he was honored multiple times by the prestigious authorities of Bangladesh. In 1979, the nation honored him with the highest honor of the country “Independence Day Award”. He also achieved the honorary of the Government of Pakistan “Sitara-i-Khidmat State Award” in 1963. Eventually, he was honored with back-to-back five gold medals by several distinguished organizations like Mahbub Ali Khan Memorial Trust, Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, Begum Zebunnes and Kazi Mahbubullah Trust, Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah Memorial Trust, Ahsania Mission, and Comilla Foundation, Comilla.
Unknown Facts
Muhammad Ibrahim is the founder of the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM).
- Dr, Ibrahim founded the Diabetic Association in Lahore, and Karachi, West Pakistan in 1964.
- BIRDEM is the first and only to collaborate with the WHO Collaborating Centre on Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolic Disorders in Asia.
- Muhammad Ibrahim took part in setting up the government’s first population control policy, “National Population Council”.
- He is the first one titled National Professor by the government of Bangladesh.
- Dr. Ibrahim served as in charge of the Ministry of Health and Population Control in the 1970s.
- He was appointed as an adviser to the president of Bangladesh in the mid-1970s.
- Muhammad Ibrahim retired from government duty after the independence of Bangladesh.
- After 1971, he renamed the association to the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (DAB) from the Diabetic Association of Pakistan.
- Dr. Ibahim was honored with the highest honorary Independence Day Award in 1978.
- Ibrahim Medical College was named after Muhammad Ibrahim to recall his dedication to the educational sector.
- His death anniversary is remarked as the Diabetic Service Day in remembrance of his notable work in socio-medicare services.
Death
1989 was the mourning year when the nation lost one of its great sons, Muhammad Ibrahim. All his loved ones and fellows drowned in immense sadness as the light of their hearts took his last breath on 6 September 1989 at the age of 77. But the nation kept him alive as his death anniversary is declared “Sheba Divash” (Diabetic Service Day) to endorse his prominent contribution.
Conclusion
National Professor Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim was a man of utmost dedication who made the medicare section of Bangladesh come this far. During the darkness, when diabetes was completely despairing of the severity of the disease, Dr. Ibrahim came forward and saved thousands of lives with his tremendous hard work and sincerity. He is not just a physician, he is a shine to crore hearts which enlighten the whole nation. That’s why, the nation will always be indebted to its great son for his greatest humanitarian.