M A Matin
| Former Deputy Prime Minister |
| Ophthalmologist, Politician |
Full Name: Professor Dr. M A Matin
Affiliation: Jatiya Party
Current Position: Deceased
Date of Birth: November 13, 1937
Date of Death: June 13, 2012
Place of Birth: Bangladesh
Home District: Sirajganj
Constituency: 67, Sirajganj-7 and Sirajganj-2
Term: Fourth (2nd-1979, 3rd-1986, 4th-1988, 8th-2001)
Nationality: Bangladeshi
Profile:
Professor Dr. M A Matin (13 November 1937 - 13 June 2012) was a Bangladeshi Ophthalmologist, politician, former deputy prime minister and former Member of Parliament represented Sirajganj-7 and Sirajganj-2 constituency. He was a member of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 8th Jatiya Sangsad and was a Deputy Prime Minister in the Government of Bangladesh from 1984 to 1988. During his political career, he served Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Education, Home Affairs, Commerce and Ministry of Works.
Matin was born in Kurigram district. He lost his father Late M A Sobhan while he was only five months old. His mother then moved to Sirajganj with her family and started upbringing her sons and daughters. Matin was a meritorious student throughout his student carrier; he secured the 5th position in order of merit in the nation-wide Matriculation Examination (1953). After completing the higher secondary course from Dhaka College (1955), he entered the Dhaka Medical College and became a physician after successfully completing the MBBS course in 1960. He then went to UK for higher studies in Ophthalmology and successfully earned the Diploma in Ophthalmology (DO, London, 1964) and FRCS (Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, 1967). When returned to Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan), Dr. Matin joined Government Health Service and served as Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Professor of Ophthalmology at the institute of Postgraduate Medicine and Research (IPGM&R), Dhaka from 1967 until 1977.
Matin was the elected President of the Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh for 18 years between 1975 and 1995. As the President of Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh, he was instrumental in establishing the National Institute of Ophthalmology at Dhaka for the postgraduate education and training of young ophthalmologists and OSB Eye Hospital and OSB Under-5 Clinic in Dhaka for free treatment of the poor patients of Bangladesh. In various parts of rural Bangladesh, Matin has established 20 low-cost eye hospitals for making the appropriate ophthalmic services accessible and affordable to the poor people of Bangladesh. He has also established a Private Medical College (North Bengal Medical College) in Sirajganj District in the year 2000.
However, founding university of South Asia in 2003, has turned out to be the one institution founded by Professor Matin that had the most far reaching impact in Bangladesh society. It is the university of South Asia that carries his legacy best in its dedication and commitment in providing quality education for Bangladeshi youth at an affordable cost.
Matin was the President of Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons for 2 consecutive terms (1981-1985), Founder Secretary General of Bangladesh National Society for the Blind, Vice-Chairman of Bangladesh Medical Research Council, Chairman of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Public Administration Training Centre. He was also one of the Vice-Chairmen of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO). He was also elected as Vice-President of World Health Assembly in the year 1988, held in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1978, Professor Matin became a Deputy Adviser to the President of Bangladesh in the Ministry of Health and Family welfare. He then became the Minister of Health of Government of Bangladesh. He remained an important Member of the Cabinet till August 1989, when he resigned from the post of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Bangladesh. He has been elected four times as Member of Bangladesh Parliament (1979, 1986, 1988 and 2001). During the ten years of his tenure as Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, in addition to being the Health Minister, he was also the Education Minister, Home Minister, Commerce Minister, Works Minister and Communication Minister. He is an elected Ex- Member of Parliament from Shahzadpur Upozilla (67-Sirajganj-7) and Sirajganj Sadar Upozila (67-Sirajganj-2) i.e from two constituencies in Sirajgnaj District.
Matin received many prestigious national and international awards. Among those he received the prestigious Alim Memorial Gold Medal (First Recipients in 1978), Distinguished Service Award from the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (1981), ABC IRWIN Award (1982), and SAARC’S best Ophthalmologist Gold in Medal (1993). He also received the highest award of Asia Pacific Academy the JOSE RISAL MEDAL in (1993).
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