Zubaida hopes DMC leads South Asia

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s wife and eminent cardiologist Dr Zubaida Rahman on Saturday expressed the hope that Dhaka Medical College (DMC) would become one of South Asia’s leading centres for medical education, research and innovation within the next two decades.

Speaking as the special guest at the inaugural programme of DMC Day-2026, she said the institution’s future should be defined by innovation, international collaboration, research excellence and compassionate leadership.

“Twenty or twenty-five years from now, we want to see Dhaka Medical College as one of South Asia’s finest centres for medical education, research and innovation,” said Zubaida, a former student of DMC’s 43rd batch.

She said although DMC graduates are now serving across the world, their identity remains rooted in the country’s oldest and largest medical college.

Calling for stronger alumni engagement, she said former students should remain connected not only through memories but also through responsibility.

“The true strength of an institution lies not in its infrastructure but in its people. Dhaka Medical College’s greatest assets are its talent, values and humanity,” she said.

Zubaida also stressed that DMC Hospital should evolve into “a centre of excellence and compassion” where patient care remains at the heart of medical practice.

“A reassuring word can work like medicine. While medical science is built on knowledge, the medical profession is founded on humanity. However advanced technology becomes, people will always remain at the centre of healthcare,” she said.

Reflecting on her student life, she shared several experiences that shaped her medical career, including the death of a brain haemorrhage patient when the hospital’s CT scanner was out of service.

She also recalled treating a blind child, a domestic worker suffering from aplastic anaemia and a poor pregnant woman abandoned by her husband before giving birth.

“I believe the situation has improved now. But we still dream of seeing Dhaka Medical College Hospital as a centre of excellence and compassion,” she added.

The programme, held at the Dr Shamsul Alam Khan Milon Auditorium, marked the 80th founding anniversary of Dhaka Medical College, where Prime Minister Tarique Rahman attended as the chief guest.

The Prime Minister drove himself to the campus with Dr Zubaida Rahman. The couple inaugurated the celebrations by releasing balloons, visited Kazi Fazlul Huq Women’s Hostel where Zubaida lived as a student, interacted with current students and planted two saplings on the campus.

The event also featured a discussion on modernising Bangladesh’s healthcare system, during which DMC alumni presented recommendations to the Prime Minister.

Founded on July 11, 1946, with only 10 students, Dhaka Medical College has since grown into Bangladesh’s premier medical institution.

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain, State Minister Dr MA Muhit, DMC Principal Prof Md Mazharul Shaheen and Vice-Principal Prof Musarrat Sultana also addressed the programme.