Plastic Surgery Unit
Dr. Maruf Alam Chowdhury
FCPS(Surg),FCPS(Plastic Surg)
Associate Professor
The birth of plastic surgery unit runs parallel with the birth of the Rehabilitation Institute and Hospital for the Disabled (Present NITOR). Immediately after liberation war, large number of freedom fighters returned back to newly formed Bangladesh with various types of soft tissue defects in different parts of the body in addition to bony problems. This type of war victim required various types of soft tissue reconstruction along with orthopaedic procedures to preserve their limbs with adequate function. Anatomical and functional preservation of limbs or other parts of body of the injured freedom fighter would have been impossible without the help of Plastic surgery. With this end in view Prof. R.J. Garst established the plastic surgery unit in RIHD along with orthopaedic surgery.
So this was the first plastic surgery unit of the country which began immediately after liberation war, there was no Bangladeshi plastic surgeon available at that time. Visiting plastic surgeons from USA, UK and Europe came over to work in this unit and also trained the Bangladeshi doctors. Among the Bangladeshi doctors, Dr. M.A. Majed and Dr. S.L. Sen were the two pioneer trainees at that time who dedicatedly worked with the visiting plastic surgeon, later on became independent plastic surgeons. With time Bangladeshi doctors got themselves trained to take over the charge of this unit. Prof. S.H. Khundkar took over the charge of this unit in 1989 and outstandingly served this unit till July 2000 followed by his trainee Prof. Md. Abul Kalam serving in this unit till date.
Plastic surgery deals with the five different sub-specialties e.g. burn, reconstructive surgery, micro-surgery, hand surgery and aesthetic surgery. We are not dealing with the acute burn patients because of infra-structural deficit, but we have been able to manage large number of post-burn patients with deformity. Presently this unit is dedicated to various reconstructive procedures of trauma and non-trauma patients, to preserve the form and function of various parts of the body. Now this unit is leaded by Associate Professor Dr. Maruf Alam Chowdhury
