Jannatul Islam Rahad

Bangladeshi veteran physician Prof Syed Atiqul Haq, former Chairman of Department of Medicine in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), has been elected President of the Asia Pacific League against Rheumatology (APLAR) for the upcoming 2018-2020 tenure recently.
He is serving as president-elect in the present term (2016-18).

Prof Haq recently shared his views and experiences about Rheumatology as well as medical science with The Daily Observer.

He said, "Rheumatology is a segment of medical science where giving treatment of the pain (exclude cause of trauma or cancer) of three organs of human body including joint, muscles and bones".

Prof Haq further said that the ILAR is an international body of the particular medical science of Rheumatology that covers all subcontinents with four regional bodies. APLAR is one of them.

30 countries in the Asia Pacific region hold ILAR affiliated societies and other 21 countries are associate bodies.

APLAR was established in 1961 to raise awareness about Rheumatology across the world.

He informed that Prof Alam, who established a Rheumatology Clinic in 1991, introduced the term \'Rheumatology\' in Bangladesh.

"World Health Organization (WHO) invited Bangladesh to participate in an international conference on Rheumatology in 1997 and Prof Alam preferred me to attend the summit," Prof Haq said.

Returning from the summit, Prof Haq shared what he had learned from the international summit. Then Prof Alam inspired him to form a society on Rheumatology.

In 2000, Bangladesh got APLAR membership and after that Prof Alam and Prof Haq has been working hard to make the term Rheumatology familiar in the country.

They have started social awareness programme on Rheumatology including Epidemical research under the Community Oriented Programme for Control of Rheumatology Disease (COPCORD).

There are 108 recognized physicians in the field of Rheumatology, who hold membership in APLAR society in Bangladesh.

The veteran physician also informed that about 2 to 3 crore Bangladeshis are suffering from Rheumatology and some 50 lakh of them are affected severely.

"There are only 30 expert physicians in the field in our country. If we calculate the other physicians from Medicine field, especially trained in Rheumatology, the number reaches 1500," Prof Haq said.

He stressed on expansion of the treatment at rural level so that most of the Rheumatology patients can get remedy from such severe pain.

Prof Haq was the head of Medicine department at BSMMU from 2012-15. He had edited several international journals on rheumatology. The veteran physician is a former President of Association of Physician Bangladesh. He is the founder Chairman of Reumatalogy department at BSMMSU.

Prof Haq was accorded with Gold Medal from Bangladesh Academy of Science for his contribution in medical science
in 1997.