Prof. Dr. Mohammad Shafiqur Rahman

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Shafiqur Rahman works up in Dhaka. Twenty five years plus. He has a lot of degrees. MBBS. FCPS in surgery. FRCS from Edinburgh. MS in urology from DU. Probably took a lot of exams. He handles the bad stuff. Oncology. Cancer in the kidneys or prostate. People come to his room looking pretty scared. Holding thick plastic files full of biopsy reports. He just sits behind his desk. The traffic outside on the Dhaka roads is always a loud mess. Honking buses. He just looks at the papers. Tells them what the scan means. No big emotional speeches. Just facts. Maybe drinks some water from a glass on his desk.

Up in the OT he does laparoscopic stuff. Keyhole surgery. Taking out tumors without making big cuts. He looks at a monitor on a metal stand. The screen shows pink tissue and blood vessels. He uses those long metal sticks. Burning the edges so they do not bleed. Smells a bit like smoke in the room. The AC is always turned up way too high. He has been doing this for twenty five years. He knows how to separate a tumor from a bladder. The junior doctors just stand there watching. Trying not to get in the way. He finishes the case. Pulls the camera out. Takes off his gloves. Throws them in the bin.