Prof. Dr. G. K. M. Shahiduzzaman

Prof. Dr. G. K. M. Shahiduzzaman runs the internal medicine department. Head of the whole thing. He did his MBBS right here in Dhaka. Got his FCPS. Even picked up an FACP from America somewhere along the way. The US certificate is probably sitting in a drawer. Being the department head means a lot of administrative headaches. Signing off on duty rosters for the junior doctors. Approving leave applications. His desk is usually covered in those thin yellow files. People come to him when the local clinics give up. Weird fevers. Joint pain that moves around. He just sits there. Pushes his glasses up. Asks them what they ate yesterday. Usually just rice and lentils. He writes down a few blood tests. Thyroid panel. Random blood sugar. Just to rule things out.

The medicine ward is always packed. Extra beds out in the hallway. He does the big rounds on Mondays. A whole crowd of medical students trying to hear what he says over the noise of the ceiling fans. He stops at a bed. Looks at the temperature chart hanging on the metal frame. Just a jagged blue line going up and down. He tells a registrar to change the antibiotic. Maybe drop the dose a bit. He checks a patient's ankles for swelling. Pressing his thumb into the skin. He tells them to elevate their legs at night. Simple stuff. He probably drinks black tea from a small paper cup between floors. He finishes the round. Puts his pen in his pocket. Walks back to his office.