Uzma Chowdhury, Director (Finance) at PRAN-RFL Group, is a trailblazer with a CPA from Texas and degrees from Dhaka University and the University of Texas at Dallas. With over seven years in the US petroleum industry, she also served as secretary of the Houston AWSCPA. As vice chairperson of UCEP Bangladesh and director at MCCI, she drives socio-economic progress. Her initiatives, including the Amjad Khan Chowdhury Memorial Hospital and Nursing College in Natore, honor her father’s legacy while empowering communities through healthcare and skilled nursing training for local and global opportunities. In an interview with Jago News’ Salah Uddin Jashim, Uzma shared her views on nursing profession in Bangladesh.
Jago News: Why did you venture into hospital services amidst PRAN-RFL’s diverse businesses?
Uzma Chowdhury: Growing up in Natore, where our main factory operates and sources agricultural products like our globally recognised mango juice, I share a deep connection with this region. My late father, Amjad Khan Chowdhury, dreamed of building a hospital here to provide affordable healthcare. He acquired land for this purpose, and we fulfilled his vision by establishing the Amjad Khan Chowdhury Memorial Hospital, which continues to serve the community.
Beyond healthcare, we saw an opportunity to empower women in North Bengal, particularly in Natore, to become self-reliant. By training skilled nurses, we’re enabling them to secure well-paying jobs domestically or abroad, uplifting their families and boosting socio-economic development.
Initially, we faced a significant challenge: a shortage of trained nurses in Bangladesh. This inspired us to establish the Amjad Khan Chowdhury Nursing College in 2020, prioritising nursing education over a medical college. Nurses are the backbone of healthcare, providing 24/7 care compared to doctors’ periodic visits. In a country where nursing is often undervalued, we’re committed to elevating its importance and addressing critical healthcare gaps.
Jago News: How are you integrating nursing education with hospital operations and how was your investment for the project?
Uzma Chowdhury: Nursing and hospital care are inseparable, and quality nursing requires practical training. To support this, we built a three-story facility next to the Amjad Khan Chowdhury Memorial Hospital, equipped with advanced labs for hands-on learning in critical areas like surgery and radiology. With a Tk 20 crore investment in the hospital and Tk 10 crore in the Amjad Khan Chowdhury Nursing College, we’re nurturing skilled professionals.
Our vision extends beyond Natore. By equipping HSC graduates with globally recognised nursing skills, we’re enabling them to secure dignified careers abroad, moving away from low-skill jobs like cleaning or manual labour. This initiative not only empowers individuals but also boosts Bangladesh’s socio-economic growth and foreign remittances. We see immense potential in exporting trained nurses, strengthening both local healthcare and the national economy.
Jago News: Do you have any initiatives to connect the trained nurses with opportunities abroad?
Uzma Chowdhury: Yes, we are actively working to link nurses with international job markets. We’ve already held discussions with Saudi Arabia, and we have established sales hubs in several countries where we help place workers and create employment opportunities.
We’re exploring further collaboration with countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Through the Saudi-Bangla Chamber of Commerce, we are a step ahead – our talks with them are ongoing and progressing well.
We’ve also started engaging with other potential markets, though nothing concrete has been finalised yet. Our Chief Adviser recently visited Japan and identified significant opportunities there. He has begun outreach from the nursing institute he established.
If we can strengthen our nurse training programmes, I believe there is great potential to send nurses overseas – not just from across Bangladesh, but particularly from regions like North Bengal, including Natore.
Jago News: Your vision is impressive, but in a place like Natore, where will you find so many students to support such large-scale initiatives?
Uzma Chowdhury: Our Pran factory in Natore employs around 12,000 workers, of which 9,500 are women. If we look at their children, the next generation, they, along with youth from surrounding districts, can be the foundation of this initiative. We want to invest in their future and help uplift entire families through education and skill development.
You should know that North Bengal, including Natore, still lags behind other regions in terms of socio-economic development. Fewer people from here go abroad for work, and there are limited business opportunities. Access to quality education and growth prospects remains low – yet the potential is immense. People here have the capability; they just need the right opportunities to rise, even from the worker level.
What’s needed is skills training that supports socio-economic development. They must be equipped with professions that provide sustainable income – professions that allow families to thrive. Because of low-income sources, especially among women, many lack decision-making power within households.
In this context, I believe nursing can be a transformative profession for women in Natore and across North Bengal. It offers the chance to become self-reliant – either by working locally or going abroad. With proper training, they can earn well, support their families, and contribute significantly to household income.
Today, we mostly send construction workers, cleaners, and domestic helps overseas. But there's a huge global demand for skilled nurses. Why aren’t we tapping into that?
Pran has grown into one of the world’s leading agro-industrial companies largely because of women. And if they can achieve so much in agriculture, why not in nursing? All it takes is targeted skill development and the right attitude. Once we provide that, these women can go abroad, earn well, and bring pride to their communities and to Bangladesh.
Jago News: Women seem hesitant to go abroad for work, is there any opportunities for men?
Uzma Chowdhury: Of Course. There are significant opportunities for men as well. However, we need to establish more training institutes and expand our capacity to produce skilled professionals, especially nurses, who can work internationally.
If we can provide trainees with internationally recognised certifications, they will be able to build careers in countries around the world. It is our responsibility to equip them with the right skills; after that, they can take care of the rest themselves.
We have hospitals attached to each of our factories, which provides a strong platform for hands-on nurse training. These facilities can play a key role in building a pipeline of qualified professionals ready for global opportunities.
Currently, government rules stipulate that 80% of nursing college admissions are reserved for women, with only 20% for men. While our focus remains on empowering women through education and employment, we also see great potential in training male graduates, especially those completing their HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate), for overseas jobs.
Instead of sending young men abroad as low-skilled labourers or domestic workers, we should invest in skill development so they can go as trained professionals. Many Bangladeshi doctors and entrepreneurs already succeed abroad. If we can send more skilled youth – both men and women – they will not only earn better incomes but also contribute significantly to the country’s foreign exchange earnings and overall self-reliance.
Jago News: What challenges have you faced in establishing a nursing college?
Uzma Chowdhury: One of the biggest challenges in developing the nursing profession in Bangladesh is the social perception surrounding it. Nursing is often looked down upon, especially for women from lower-middle-class families who traditionally make up the majority of those entering the field.
To bring about real change, we need to elevate the social status of nurses and raise awareness about the critical role they play in healthcare. Beyond societal attitudes, there are also procedural and methodological challenges. However, with support from the government and other stakeholders, we are confident that these obstacles can be gradually overcome.