WaterAid South Asia Director Khairul Islam Dies at 67

Dr Khairul Islam, the South Asia Regional Director of the international organisation WaterAid, has died at the age of 67. He died in the early hours of Friday at Continental Hospital in Dhaka, formerly known as United Hospital, after suffering a heart attack the previous night.

Plabon Gangopadhyay, WaterAid’s Coordinator for Communications, confirmed his death.

According to WaterAid sources, Dr Islam became critically ill after suffering a cardiac attack on Thursday night and was taken to hospital for treatment. He died there early on Friday.

His funeral is scheduled to take place after Asr prayers on Saturday at Azad Mosque in Gulshan, according to his close friend M Tamim, an energy expert and Vice-Chancellor of Independent University, Bangladesh. Dr Islam’s son, Arko, is travelling to Bangladesh from Australia. He is expected to be buried at Rayerbazar, although the final arrangements may depend on the family.

Dr Islam had a long and varied career spanning medicine, public health, research, writing, and the water and sanitation sector. He graduated in medicine from Sir Salimullah Medical College and later pursued postgraduate studies at the National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine and in Boston.

He became widely recognised not only for his professional work but also for his contribution to research and public discussion on Bangladesh’s health sector. Several of his books and research contributions on public health were published in Bangladesh and abroad.

Dr Islam served as a member of the editorial board and a contributor to The Development of the Health Sector in Bangladesh, published by Prothoma Prokashan. He also contributed to a book published by Oxford University Press examining corruption in the health sector, as well as to Mujibpedia, where he wrote on health-related issues.

One of his notable scholarly works was The Medical History of the Liberation War, which he co-authored with prominent fiction writer Shahaduzzaman. The book was the result of five years of research by the two authors and was published by Prothoma Prokashan in 2022.

The book explored the medical history of Bangladesh’s Liberation War and documented aspects of healthcare and medical support during the conflict. Its publication added to the growing body of research examining the war not only from a military and political perspective but also through the experiences of doctors, healthcare workers and medical institutions.

Beyond his work in medicine and research, Dr Islam spent many years working to advance the water, sanitation and hygiene sector in Bangladesh. He held a senior leadership position at WaterAid and served as the organisation’s South Asia Regional Director, working on issues closely connected with public health, access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

His tenure in the regional leadership role was nearing its end. He had been due to retire from the position later this month, making his sudden death particularly unexpected.

Dr Islam was also a regular newspaper columnist. His writings covered medicine, public health, water, sanitation and wider social issues. Through his articles, he contributed to public discussions surrounding the challenges facing Bangladesh’s healthcare system and the broader importance of public health services.

Colleagues and acquaintances remembered him as a courteous and approachable person. His professional life brought together several fields that are closely linked to people’s quality of life — from healthcare and medical research to safe water and sanitation.

WaterAid Bangladesh head Hasin Jahan said in a Facebook post that Dr Islam’s body would be taken to the mortuary at BIRDEM on Friday. It would remain there until his son returned to Bangladesh from Australia.

Dr Islam completed his higher secondary education at Mirzapur Cadet College before pursuing a career in medicine. Over the course of his professional life, he developed a reputation as a physician, researcher, writer and public health advocate.

His death marks the loss of a professional whose work extended well beyond a single sector. Through his involvement in healthcare research, historical scholarship, journalism and the development of water and sanitation services, Dr Khairul Islam remained engaged with some of the most significant public health challenges facing Bangladesh and the wider South Asian region.