Doctors hopeful about condition of nat’l professor Anisuzzaman

Doctors are cautiously optimistic that the health condition of National Professor Anisuzzaman, being treated at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), will be stabilised, said his family yesterday.

On April 27, the Dhaka University professor emeritus was admitted to Universal Medical College Hospital after he fell ill seriously.

Prof Anisuzzaman was shifted to the capital's CMH on Saturday, as his condition was not improving. Apart from heart problems, the 83-year-old has been suffering from kidney and lung complications and respiratory problems, according to his son Ananda Zaman.

"They [doctors] are still hopeful about further development but looking forward to a sustainable one, as the situation is still at a concerning level. They want us to wait till tomorrow [Tuesday] evening to give us a complete update," he said yesterday afternoon.

Prof Anisuzzaman, one of the most prolific essayists and scholars of the country, was previously hospitalised for one week at the beginning of April.

The academic taught at Dhaka and Chittagong universities, was a post-doctoral fellow at University of Chicago, and a Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellow at University of London.

He was also associated with research projects at United Nations University. He was a visiting fellow at University of Paris, North Carolina State University, University of Calcutta, and a visiting professor at Visva-Bharati of India.

He was awarded Ekushey Padak and Swadhinata Padak, the highest awards given by the government, for his contribution to education.

The Indian government had awarded him Padma Bhushan, the country's third-highest civilian honour, for his distinguished service in the fields of Bangla literature and education.

Born in Kolkata in 1937, Prof Anisuzzaman and his family moved to Bangladesh soon after the partition in 1947.