The word legend personifies an individual when they have created or worked to master something bigger than themselves. These people have brought about ripples of change in the community for its betterment. Dr. Ahmed Mushtaque Raza Chowdhury is one such human whose work has brought him international recognition. He recently received the Ronald McDonald House Charities RMHC Medical Award of Excellence in the year of 2017.
Ronald McDonald House Charities is famous for its motto of “keeping families together and near the medical care they need through a network of local chapters.” RMHC provides vital resources and compassionate care to children and their families, serving leading hospitals worldwide since 1974.
At present, RMHC services and care are available in 64 countries and regions worldwide. The core RMHC programs include- Ronald McDonald Houses, Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, and Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles; they provide access to health care and enabling family-centered care. Every year RMHC hosts the annual Awards of Excellence and honors individuals around the world who have made outstanding contributions to improve health and well being of children. A grant of $100,000 is awarded in honor of the recipients to other nonprofit organizations selected by the awardees. Former recipients of the award include Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter (1991), former First Lady Barbara Bush (1994), Ret. U.S. Army General Colin Powell (1997), former First Lady Betty Ford (1998), Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan (2002).
Dr. Chowdhury was awarded this honor on 11 November 2017 at a Gala held in Chicago. He is the only Asian to receive such an honor. The BRAC vice-chairperson is a professor of Columbia University and a board member of South Asia Centre of London School of Economics. He is also the President of Asia Pacific Action Alliance on Human Resources for Health (AAAH) and leads group member of UN’s Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement.
Remaining true to RMHC’s motto, PKSF honored Dr. Chowdhury through gratitude and celebration on 30 December 2017. Dr. Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Chairman of PKSF along with his wife, honored Dr. Chowdhury and his wife with a crest. The Chairman took the opportunity to remind the present guests about the motto of PKSF which was inspiring for the existing workers to perform better in future.PKSF’s Managing Director Md. Abdul Karim said, “It’s been an honor for him to know Dr. Chowdhury for so many years now and the best part about him is that he is always silent when it comes to promoting his own achievements. I wonder how someone with so much to talk about, can stay so calm!” Eminent Banker and Member of the Governing Body of PKSF, Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled stated, “The sad part about such an achievement is that most of the people of our country don’t understand the significance and so, fails to recognize such honors”.
Dr. Chowdhury has been working with BRAC for decades and has always maintained a low profile. Beyond his philanthropic work, Dr. Chowdhury has been equally active in research-based practices to make sure continuous improvement of life and health of the children and people of Bangladesh. He is a noteworthy example of how individuals can instill lasting change in any nation if they have the drive, determination, and vision.
