Bangladesh Field Hospital (Popularly known as ''Bangladesh Hospital'') was a temporary medical centre under the Sector-2 during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. The hospital was an initiative of Captain Akhtar Ahmed, who was a physician of 4th East Bengal Regiment in Comilla Cantonment. It was situated in Tripura, India.

Background

The almost nine-month long Liberation War of Bangladesh commenced on 26 March 1971 after the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

cracked down on the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

population of then East Pakistan. The Pakistan Army also targeted Bengali officers and soldiers of the armed forces across the country. As a result of a period of systematic terror enacted by the Pakistan Army, East Pakistan revolted against Pakistan and retaliated against the Army.

History

The Bangladesh Hospital began in a cowshed of Shimantopur, a bordering area of Bangladesh, started by Captain Akhtar Ahmed on 29 March 1971. The first patient was a villager who had been shot in the leg. Akhtar chose Naik Shamsu Miah from the

East Pakistan Rifles East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

as his assistant. Later on 9 May 1971, after the 4th East Bengal Regiment had to retreat due to a shortage of ammunition, Ahmed moved his hospital to a forest rest house of

Sonamura Sonamura is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in the Indian state of Tripura. It is the headquarter of Sonamura Subdivision in Sipahijala district and lies on the border with Bangladesh to the east of Comilla. Demographics As of the 2011 India cen ...

of Tripura in India. During those days nurse Subedar Mannan joined Ahmed. The centre suffered from shortages of equipment and facilities. And Ahmed who was the Company Commander of 4th East Bengal Regiment during the war was thinking of again shifting the hospital. Shortly after the battle of Shalda River on 1 June, Major Khaled Mosharraf directed Ahmed to establish a hospital with more facilities. Ahmed moved his medical centre to Matinagar, adjacent to the Sector-2 headquarters of

Agartala Agartala () is the capital city of the Indian state of Tripura, and is one of the largest cities in northeast India. The city is governed by the Agartala Municipal Corporation. The city is the seat of the Government of Tripura. It is located on ...

. They set up a tent in Daroga Bagicha, away from the Melaghar headquarters. Ahmed was accompanied by Captain Dr. Sitara Begum, Saeeda Kamal,

Sultana Kamal Sultana Kamal is a Bangladeshi lawyer and human rights activist. She serves as the executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra, a civil rights organisation. In 2006, she served as adviser in the Caretaker government of Bangladesh led by Presiden ...

, Shamsuddin a final year medical student, Dalia Ahmed, Linu Billah, Habibul Alam; and his two sisters Asma and Reshma. At the end of June Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury and Dr. M A Mobin, two

physicians who were studying in London, met Ahmed in

and asked about his needs. Ahmed asked them to collect essential medical equipment. Later, the

Provisional Government of Bangladesh The Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, popularly known as the Mujibnagar Government, was established following the Bangladeshi Declaration of Independence, declaration of independence of East Pakistan as Banglades ...

granted BDT thirty thousand rupiah for the hospital and Ahmed set up a 200-bed complex in Bishramganj in Tripura. The hospital complex started operation on 26 August 1971. Dr. Mobin, who was studying for FRCS degree, modernized the operation theatre of the hospital. The hospital was transformed into a 400-bed one by the end of the war in December. Sitara Begum served as the Commanding Officer of the Bangladesh Hospital.

Doctors

*Col. Khaled Musharaf order to establish this Hospital * Major Akhtar Ahmed made a Budget but it was not sufficient for construction *Dr.M.A.Mobin who sold his house & car in UK to help the war casualties * Rangamati Magistrate Mr.H.T Imam send send some Bangladesh Engineers construct this hospital *Dr. Nazimuddin Ahmed worked as Anesthesiologist * Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury join in September * Captain Sitara Begum join in October as Administrator * Shamsuddin left with Daila Salahuddin in September * A.S.M Mahmood * Kiron Sankhan Debnath * Morshed Chowdhury * M.A Qusem * Mohammad Zubayer *Lutfar Rahman

Recognition

The initiative of Bangladesh Hospital was appreciated by

. After the Liberation War of Bangladesh ended on 16 December 1971, the Government of Bangladesh awarded Dr. Akhtar Ahmed and Dr. Sitara Begum with gallantry award Bir Protik for their remarkable contribution for the hospital.

References

{{reflist Bangladesh Liberation War