Professor Dr. AKM Abdul Wahed
Dr. AKM Abdul Wahed, the founder of the Bangladesh Association for the Aged and Institute of Geriatric Medicine (BAAIGM), was born on 26 June 1896 in an aristocratic Muslim family in Bashirhat, 24 Parganas District, West Bengal, India. His father was Maulvi Abdul Wasek and his grandfather was Dr. Abdul Dayan. Her mother’s name was Mosammat Jamila Khatun. Dr. Waheed received a government scholarship from Bashirhat High School to matriculate in the first class, ISC and B.Sc. from Presidency College, Calcutta. Passed. B.Sc. in 1919. He was awarded the Gold Medal and the Haji Muhammad Mohsin Merit for his outstanding results in Physiology. He obtained his MB from Calcutta Medical College in 1924. Degree. He started his professional life by teaching at Calcutta Medical College. He moved to London in 1938 and joined the MRCP from Edinburgh in 1939. Degree and at the same time he moved from Glasgow to FRFP. & C. Degree.
Prof. Dr. AKM Abdul Wahed was the first Muslim MRCP of undivided Bengal. Degree Professor of Medicine. Until the partition of India in 1947, he was a professor of medicine at Lake Medical College, Calcutta. He then worked as a professor and later as a principal in Dhaka Medical College. Dr. Waheed served as Professor and Founding Principal of Peshawar Medical College, Pakistan from 1955-56. He has worked as a Visiting Professor at various renowned medical education institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States. From 1956 to 1970, he was the director and consultant of the then East Pakistan Department of Medical Education and Health. He retired from the service in 1970.
Dr. Waheed, Professor of Medicine and Professor of Medicine at home and abroad, has the opportunity to closely observe the physical and mental fevers of humans. He became very enthusiastic about this. Moreover, the aging condition and problems of the people of the country, the stage of prevention and remediation and the stage of state-social preparation made him think a lot. He is anxious but confident and organized to take initiative to deal with aging. After retiring from work, he started discussing the issue with his friends. With the direct and sincere cooperation of all these socially compassionate people, he established the “Pakistan Association for the AZ” on April 10, 1970. At present, this institute is known as ‘Bangladesh Association for the AZ and Institute of Geriatric Medicine’ or ‘Bangladesh Praveen Hitaishi Sangha and Zara Science Institute’. Dr. Waheed founded the Sangha in Dhaka with his own furniture and equipment in a part of his house at No. 6, Road No. 5, Dhanmondi. Regardless of race, religion, caste, class or gender, this was the first such organization of all the elders in Pakistan and one of the few elderly welfare organizations in the subcontinent and in the world. From the very beginning, the then Governor of East Pakistan, Mr. Zakir Hossain, came forward with a financial grant of ten thousand rupees as a sign of cooperation in this work. He was a close friend of Dr. Waheed.
Besides, Justice Abdul Jabbar Khan, Justice Md. Ashir, Justice Syed ABM Mahmud Hossain, Dr. M. Kudrat-i-Khuda, Dr. Kazi Motahar Hossain, Dr. Hedayet Ullah, Dr. We are grateful for the active cooperation and sincere support of MA Jabbar, Syed Ittehad Ali, Syed Murtaza Ali, Mr. Panaullah Ahmed, Mr. Abdur Rahman, Mrs. Akhtar Iqbal Begum, Begum Shamushunnahar Mahmud, Dr. Mohammad Ibrahim and Dr. MA Wahid. Will.
Man’s aging comes first and foremost in his own body. The body parts and limbs nurtured by so many caresses and affections start betraying the person after the age of 40 years. They gradually show weakness in following the desires, longings and instructions of the mind. The result is a variety of diseases, disorders and illnesses. Reaching old age for good reason, people want to recover and regain their lost youth and strength. Since physicians are the savior in this field, the elderly are reminded of doctors or physicians to stay well in body and mind. In this observation and realization, Dr. Waheed opened the door to medical services as the first and foremost program of the association. He used to see the patients, give advice and do the pathology test himself. Moreover, he has done a lot of research on aging. He also started publishing a quarterly magazine called “Pakistan Journal of Geriatrics” with various articles on aging. The United Nations declared 1999 the International Year of the Elderly and its slogan was “Society for All Ages”. So he kept the membership of the association open to all ages. He even enlisted the help of all members of his family in various activities of the association. During his lifetime, he donated all his valuable books and rare specimens and instruments of medical science to the Veterans Welfare Association. His worthy late sons Sarvajanab Abdul Jabbar and Abdus Sattar and daughter Mrs. Touhida Khatun have played an integral role in the veteran charity. Moreover, the contribution of his only surviving daughter Mrs. Tayyaba Khatun and son-in-law Desh Barenya Baktibati late Jamal Uddin Ahmed is appreciated by the Veterans Welfare Association.