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The doctor is a legendary figure in our time. Dr Ali Ahmed and his homeopathic clinic at B-411 Khilgaon Chowdhurypara in Dhaka are unforgettable household names and destinations for his numerous patient beneficiaries and members of their families.
I came to know about Dr Ali long ago from grateful friends and relatives who visited him and were very successfully treated by him for their sicknesses. More than that, I heard about his ability to work miracles. He is distinguished for having cured ill persons about whom all had given up hope of surviving not to speak of getting well. But many of these individuals-- whom other doctors had given up as untreatable cases and destined for the icy hands of death-- found complete relief from their ailments and a rebirth of sorts, thanks to Almighty Allah and the very effective treatment of Dr Ali.
Although we heard so much about him, we never went to him whenever anyone in the family fell ill. Like so many other families in the country, I and my husband used to be accustomed to going to allopathic doctors for treatment. It never occurred to us that homeopaths with their tiny drops, globules and powders could cure serious diseases. Like some diehard followers of allopathic medicines, we shunned homeopathy thinking the same to be nothing that believers took to only benefit from their placebo effect.
All such pet beliefs of mine were shattered after I met Dr Ali and the panel of doctors at his clinic including his son Dr Ahmed Mortuza Kamal and cousin brother Dr Moslehuddin Ahmed. Dr Ali miraculously helped my only son and my greatest possession to overcome his grave sickness. My son -- a lively 14 years plus youngster before his illness-- first had fever around the middle of last year. Migrating pains in different parts of the body and frequent lack of appetite were his other problems. He was treated by the family doctor who is also a child specialist. He was given paracetamol for reducing temperature and a course of antibiotics. He seemed to be all right for a while after the course was over but relapsed back into fever again to be treated again by antibiotics and paracetamol. The fever repeated three times along with body pains in as many number of months and we became very concerned.
The family doctor advised an array of pathological tests ranging from the ones needed to diagnose fevers caused by germs of typhoid and germs of other diseases to those for determining rheumatic diseases. The pathological tests were done at the best places in Dhaka but yielded no results to show that he was afflicted with either any bacterial or viral infection or there were other non infectious reasons for his recurrent temperature and body pains.
We changed doctors and went to a number of the most well known allopathic child specialists in Dhaka. They recommended similar and more tests. We had them done sometimes at two best places in Dhaka on the same day to find out if there were any discrepancies between the results. There was no such variation in the test results and nothing was found in his pathology samples to indicate any serious disease. We were at a complete loss about what to do.
Meanwhile, his fever started climbing higher and higher. The fevers went up as high as 105 degree and at one stage to even 106 degree and stayed at that level for days at a stretch. I and my husband were in terrible agony from our powerlessness to help our son in any way. He was intensely treated with higher antibiotics and other drugs by specialist doctors in this period with no effect. In desperation, we planned foreign trips for his treatment. We considered Bangkok, Singapore and nearby Kolkata. It was finally decided that we would go to Apollo Hospital at Kolkata as it was the nearest and convenient to reach while it also provided treatment equivalent to the other places.
At that time, a relative came to us with his suggestion to visit Dr Ali. The visa formality would take some time to complete and we could see him in this interim period. No harm if our son got some relief in this interim period, we were told. The relative almost dragged us and our son to Dr Ali.
I was very impressed by Dr Ali, for his dignified appearance and reassuring manners. He wore impeccably tailored western clothes and sought to calm our worst fears with his soothing words. He chatted with my son and almost like a fortune teller assured him that his suffering would soon be over. Little did we realise then that the prophecy would be so uncannily fulfilled.
My son started improving right from the first day he starterd taking Dr Ali's amazing medicines - just some tiny globules and few drops of a liquid at intervals. His fever went on remission after three or four days and he started feeling a lot better with his aches and pains also gone and his appetite restored. Dr Ali told us that his fever may come back but not to worry. The fever would go away on a lasting basis after some time and even if the fever came back it would not be so high or be so painful, he said. This prophecy was also fulfilled to the last word. The fever came back but the temperature was much less than in the past and the pains were also insignificant by comparison. Gradually, the fever completely stopped and my son has been in normal good health for the last five months.
I don't have words to express my gratitude to Dr Ali and his panel of doctors. They have done nothing short of a miracle. They not only cured my son but saved an entire family from great mental distresses and prospects of financial drain. I heard about many such miracle cures as I had to frequently visit his clinic to collect the medicines for my son. One young person, an engineer in his thirties, told me about his miracle saving by Dr Ali. He damaged the nerves in his legs after an accident and could not walk. After exhausting all forms of allopathic treatment in Dhaka, he went for treatment to New York in USA where he was told that they could do nothing for him and he would have to bear his conditions for the rest of his life. After coming back home, he went to Dr Ali and after three months of treatment he now walks naturally and easily.
Another story I heard about Dr Ali from a cancer patient directly. She came to take her fortnightly medicines from Dr Ali's clinic where she met me. She was told that she had cancer that was progressing towards the terminal stage. After getting the simple homeopathic treatment from Dr Ali for some months all her symptoms vanished and she now feels as if she is in good health. I also heard many such accounts directly from sufferers of serious chronic illness who got well from Dr Ali's treatment. But the same cannot be narrated in the short space of this write- up.
Dr Ali is well known for his cures for all sorts of ailments. But he is specially regarded as a cancer specialist and his name and fame has spread well beyond Bangladesh's borders. He treats patients on a regular basis as far away as the USA, Canada and the European countries. He was nominated by the Indian government to represent the subcontinent at the international homeopathic seminar at Vienna., He successfully treated members of the Saudi royal family and traveled many times to that country in that connection. Interviews of Dr Ali were prominently published in the Khalij Times, Gulf New ,etc. He was awarded gold medal in 1988 for his contribution to homeopathy at the Engineers Institute by the Homeo Research Centre. He was similarly given a reception last March by Mahanagari Sangskritik Forum where he was specially showered with honours for his magnificent services by his grateful patients who included ministers, judges and other elites of Bangladesh society. A team of doctors came from the USA in 1997 only to meet Dr Ali and persuade him to join their organization. The offer was declined by Dr Ali as he felt that his priority was to treat patients of his own country. The team members were in Dhaka for three days and they spent most of their time at Dr Ali's clinic. They went away very impressed.
It is no overstatement to describe Dr Ali as Bangladesh's Heineman. He is the miracle doctor in our midst. The nation should feel proud as well as very fortunate to have a doctor of his caliber to serve people in all walks of life.
Rank and class is no matter to Dr Ali. He is accessible to all although the great number of patients who mob his clinic make it very difficult for him to see each of them on the same day. Nevertheless, finally all are admitted in his chamber to get the blessings of his miracle diagnosis and treatment. The ones who were cured by him include persons from all stations in life - from rickshawpullers to diplomats, from housewives to high ranking civil servants, judges and ministers. He makes no discrimination in attending to patients. Many poor patients are treated free of costs by him. Generally, his fee is modest compared to the service he renders and the same modesty applies to the costs of the medicines sold from his dispensary.
Dr Ali is highly deserving of much higher honours and awards than what had been bestowed on him so far. He is a titanic figure in the realm of health care services in Bangladesh, a living legend for his healing touch.
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