Prominent Bangladeshi Ophthalmologist and Healthcare Pioneer Professor Rabiul Hossain Dies at 90

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Professor Rabiul Hossain, a renowned ophthalmologist and the visionary founder of the Chittagong Eye Hospital and Training Center, died Saturday at a private hospital in Chittagong. He was 90 years old.

The esteemed physician had been suffering from various age-related health complications. He is survived by two sons, grandchildren, and a wide circle of professional colleagues and admirers. A stalwart in the field of eye care, Professor Hossain served as the hospital’s advisor and former managing trustee.

The first funeral prayer is scheduled for Saturday evening at the Jamiatul Falah National Mosque in Chittagong. Following a second service on Sunday morning at the Chittagong Eye Hospital premises, his final rites will be held at Kathachhara in Mirsharai, where he will be laid to rest in the family graveyard.

Professor Hossain leaves behind a profound legacy in ophthalmology and blindness prevention in Bangladesh. In 1973, he established the Bangladesh National Society for the Blind. Under his guidance, the society’s mobile eye camps facilitated surgical procedures for approximately one million patients. His commitment to public health also included a long-running initiative to screen schoolchildren for vision impairment, which has reached roughly 800,000 students since its inception in 1975.

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In 1983, Professor Hossain founded the Chittagong Eye Hospital and Training Center in Pahartali. The 130-bed facility has since grown into one of the most sophisticated eye care centers in Southeast Asia. He was instrumental in advancing medical education by introducing a four-year Bachelor of Science in Optometry degree and helping establish the Institute of Community Ophthalmology under the University of Chittagong.

His influence extended well beyond national borders. Professor Hossain served for more than two decades as a national councilor and regional secretary for the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology. Additionally, he held the position of chair for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness for eight years. His lifelong dedication to medical service and humanitarian work earned him numerous accolades both in Bangladesh and across the international community.