Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh is one of the largest herbal pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh. It operates as a philanthropic waqf (endowment) in which all the company's profits go to a charitable foundation.

The company traces its origins to early 20th-century Old Delhi. Today, there are separate and independent companies bearing the Hamdard name in India and Pakistan. Their Rooh Afza is a popular drink, especially during Ramadan in South Asia. Hakim Md. Yousuf Harun Bhuiyan is the managing director and chief trustee.

History

Predecessors

Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed was an Unani (herbal medicine) practitioner and pharmacist. In 1906, he established a small Unani clinic called Hamdard in Old Delhi.[1] "Ham" means "friend" and "dard" means "pain" in Persian, so the company's name means "companion of pain".[2] Majeed wished to transform the company into a waqf (Islamic charitable endowment). He died in 1922 before he could do so, however, and it was left to the next generation to implement his plan.[3]

His widow, Rabia Begum, and their elder son, Hakim Abdul Hameed, took over the management of Hamdard. His younger son, Hakeem Mohammad Said, joined the management of the firm after completing his studies.[4] After the partition of India, Hameed continued to run operations in India. In January 1948, Said migrated to Pakistan. There he built a parallel company, also called Hamdard.[5] It established a presence in East Pakistan in 1953.[6] Within a few years, the company had sales offices in Dacca and Chittagong.[7] East Pakistan won independence as Bangladesh in 1971. Hamdard Pakistan's facilities there became the kernel of Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh.[8]

Independence

Hakim Md. Yousuf Harun Bhuiyan, who joined the company in 1972, became the managing director in 1982.[9] In 1989, he established Hamdard Foundation Bangladesh.[10] The company distributes all its profits through this charitable foundation.[7]

The company began construction of a new factory in 2004 on nearly 33 acres (13 ha) in Meghna Ghat, Sonargaon Upazila, Narayanganj District.[11] It was inaugurated in June 2005 by Minister of Health and Family Welfare Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.[12]

Hamdard University Bangladesh in 2017

The foundation set up various institutions in the education and healthcare sectors. It founded Hamdard Unani Medical College and Hospital in Bogra District in 1990.[13] It established Hakim Said Eastern Medical College & Hospital in 2008.[14] In Lakshmipur District, it launched Rawshan Jahan Eastern Medical College and Hospital the same year.[15]

In 2010, the foundation established Hamdard Public College.[16] It set up Hamdard University Bangladesh on 29 November 2012.[17] These five institutions teach students about Eastern medicine (Unani and Ayurvedic).[18]

Hamdard Museum was established in January 2022.[19]

Products

Rooh Afza syrup mixed with water

Hamdard is licensed by the government of Bangladesh to produce herbal medicine.[20] It makes both Unani and Ayurvedic ones.[21] Traditional medicines are widely used in Bangladesh. In 2016, the domestic market for herbal or traditional products was estimated to be 3 billion Bangladeshi taka ($38M as of 2016).[22] As of 2019, Hamdard produced about 200 herbal medications.[23] They market their capsules, tablets, ointments, and syrups as treatments for a wide variety of ailments.[24]

Hamdard also makes soap, honey, and a thick red syrup, Rooh Afza. The latter, created in 1907 by Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed, is also produced by Hamdard India and Hamdard Pakistan. The recipe is a trade secret. According to The New York Times, it is four-fifths sugar. Majeed is known to have used rose petals, mint, and khas, a fragrant grass.[8] Among its more than 20 ingredients are chicory, coriander, fragrant screwpine, fruit juice, and red food coloring. Typically, the syrup is mixed into water or milk to make a drink, or used in desserts. It is popular in South Asia's hot summers and as a way to break one's daytime fast during Ramadan.[25] The bright crimson syrup also has an "off-label use" as a key ingredient of fake blood at Dhallywood film studios.[26]

Operations

The company is one of the largest herbal medicine producers in the country.[21] Its headquarters is in Hamdard Bhaban at 291/1 Sonargaon Road in Dhaka.[7] The company has over 300 acres (120 ha) in Chittagong District for growing medicinal plants. It runs its own research laboratories and has a factory in Sonargaon Upazila.[27] As of 2019, it has around 200 health centers and hospitals where, other than the cost of medication, treatment is free.[23][28]

Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh traces its origins to what are now Hamdard India and Hamdard Pakistan. The operations of the three are separate and independent. Each is managed by its own board of trustees and regulated by the waqf board of their respective country.[21][8] The Office of the Waqf Administrator, under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, regulates Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh.[29] Hakim Md. Yousuf Harun Bhuiyan is the managing director of the company and the chief mutawalli (trustee) of the waqf.[30]

References

  1. ^ Mohsin, Magda Ismail Abdel (2016). Financing the Development of Old Waqf Properties: Classical Principles and Innovative Practices around the World. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 185. ISBN 978-1-137-58128-0.
  2. ^ "History of Hamdard Bangladesh". Hamdard University Bangladesh. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  3. ^ Nejima, Susumu (2015). "Evolution of a waqf-based NGO: Hamdard Foundation in Pakistan". In Nejima, Susumu (ed.). NGOs in the Muslim World: Faith and Social Services. Routledge. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-1-31-742755-1.
  4. ^ "Tribute: Hakim Mohammad Said: Serving humanity". Dawn. 2011-10-16.
  5. ^ Alter, Joseph S. (November 2008). "Rethinking the History of Medicine in Asia: Hakim Mohammed Said and the Society for the Promotion of Eastern Medicine". The Journal of Asian Studies. 67 (04): 1169. doi:10.1017/S0021911808001745.
  6. ^ Khondokar, Faiza (2018-07-10). "Hamdard: A realm of Ayurvedics". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  7. ^ a b c Ghani, Abdul. "Hamdard". Banglapedia. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  8. ^ a b c Mashal, Mujib (2021-07-07). "Across Borders and Divides, One 'Heavenly' Refresher Cools Summer Heat". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Dr. Hakim Md. Yousuf Harun Bhuiyan". Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  10. ^ "Hamdard Foundation Bangladesh". Hamdard University Bangladesh. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  11. ^ "Hamdard University to be set up". The Daily Star. BSS. 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  12. ^ "New Hamdard factory opened in N'ganj". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  13. ^ "Home". Hamdard Unani Medical College and Hospital. Archived from the original on 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  14. ^ "The College". Hakim Said Eastern Medical College and Hospital. Archived from the original on 2022-11-04. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  15. ^ "Home". Rawshan Jahan Eastern Medical College and Hospital. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  16. ^ "Hamdard Public College – Promoting Knowledge, promoting Learning". Hamdard Public College. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  17. ^ "Hamdard University Bangladesh". Hamdard University Bangladesh. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  18. ^ Mohsin, Magda Ismail Abdel (2016). Financing the Development of Old Waqf Properties: Classical Principles and Innovative Practices around the World. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-137-58128-0.
  19. ^ "Hamdard Museum starts journey". New Age. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  20. ^ Chowdhury, Sarwar A. (2011-03-20). "Herbal drugs make a niche". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  21. ^ a b c Salam, Upashana (2014-01-10). "The Science of Life". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  22. ^ Jahan, Ishrak (9 April 2016). "Herbal medicines: an overview". The Financial Express. Dhaka.
  23. ^ a b Khan, Foyasal; Hassan, Mohammad Kabir (2019). Ali, Khalifa Mohamed; Hassan, Mohammad Kabir; Ali, Abd elrahman Elzahi Saaid (eds.). Revitalization of Waqf for Socio-Economic Development, Volume II. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 59. ISBN 978-3-030-18449-0.
  24. ^ Proma, Adiba Mahbub (10 July 2018). "The magic of Ayurvedic medicines". The Daily Star.
  25. ^ Pathak, Sushmita (5 August 2023). "Across South Asia, this sweet drink is synonymous with summertime refreshment". NPR.
  26. ^ Hoek, Lotte (September 2013). "Blood splattered Bengal: The spectacular spurting blood of the Bangladeshi cinema". Contemporary South Asia. 21 (3): 214–229. doi:10.1080/09584935.2013.826622.
  27. ^ "History". Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  28. ^ Mohsin, Magda Ismail Abdel (2016). Financing the Development of Old Waqf Properties: Classical Principles and Innovative Practices around the World. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 206–207. ISBN 978-1-137-58128-0.
  29. ^ Khan, Niaz Ahmed; Jareen, Sultana (2015). "The Waqf and Human Security in Muslim Majority Countries: Traditions, Modern Practices, and Challenges". In Hasan, Samiul (ed.). Human security and philanthropy: Islamic perspectives and Muslim majority country practices. Springer. p. 194. ISBN 978-1-4939-2524-7.
  30. ^ "Managing Director & Directors". Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamdard_Laboratories_(Waqf)_Bangladesh
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