Trees were planted on the Dhaka Medical College campus to mark the birthday of Dr Zubaida Rahman, a former student of the college (batch K-43), a noted cardiologist and the wife of BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman.

A Quran recitation (khatam) and prayer gathering was also held for her birthday after Asr prayers on Thursday, 19 June, at the central mosque of the college hospital.

BNP health affairs secretary Dr Md Rafiqul Islam attended the programme.

Answering journalists' questions, Dr Md Rafiqul Islam said Dr Zubaida Rahman had been a student of the college's K-43 batch, and that the college and Alim Hall carried memories of her time there. He said she had joined government service after coming first in the BCS (health) examination, but that "the fascist government" did not let her stay in that job. Her academic achievements continued nonetheless, he said: she earned an MSc in cardiology from Imperial College London with the highest marks and a gold medal. After 5 August, with the fall of that government, a process to reinstate her in her job has begun, he said, adding that they hoped she would again contribute her talent and skill to medical care for the people of Bangladesh.

On the tree-planting programme, he said the Bangladesh Nationalist Party had always believed in environment-friendly work, following the path shown by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. He said Ziaur Rahman had set a new milestone in diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia simply by gifting trees, and that the neem trees are still known in Saudi Arabia as "Zia trees". In that tradition, he said, neem and other saplings were planted on her favourite campus on the birthday of a member of the Zia family.

Various fruit and medicinal trees were planted at Dhaka Medical College, the female students' hostel, Milon Auditorium and the hospital grounds.

Also present were Dhaka Medical College principal Professor Dr Md Kamrul Alam; vice-principal Professor Dr Faruk Ahammad; head of orthopaedics Dr Syed Zakir Hossain; head of ENT Professor Dr Asadur Rahman; Associate Professor Dr Provat Chandra; plastic surgery specialist Associate Professor Dr Foara Tasnim Pami; BMDC treasurer Associate Professor Dr Md Nuruzzaman Khan Khasru; Associate Professor Zakaria Aziz; kidney specialist Dr Mezbah Uddin Noman; cardiologist Dr Md Mahmudur Rahman Noman; gynaecological oncologist Dr Mirza Asaduzzaman Ratan; and current and former leaders of the Dhaka Medical College unit of Chhatra Dal, among many others.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.