‘Friend of Bangladesh’ Richard dies

Richard Cash, co-developer of the Oral Rehydration Therapy, passed away on Tuesday in Boston, US at the age of 83, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of service and innovation that transformed healthcare worldwide, said a BRAC press release on Thursday.

A dedicated supporter of Bangladesh’s independence, Richard Cash was honoured with the ‘Friends of Liberation War Honour’ for his instrumental role in rallying international support for the cause.

He remained a close ally of the country, playing a pivotal role in the founding of BRAC USA in 2006, where he served as a devoted board member for nearly two decades.

His profound connection to Bangladesh began in the 1970s when he chose to serve at the Cholera Research Laboratory, now the ICDDR,B, in Dhaka.

At a time when diarrhoeal diseases claimed the lives of one in five children in Bangladesh, Richard co-developed ORT, a breakthrough treatment that has saved millions of lives globally. The therapy’s impact was further amplified in the 1980s through BRAC’s Oral Therapy Extension Programme, which trained 12.5 million Bangladeshi mothers in its use, cutting the child mortality rate by half.

Richard’s ground-breaking work in public health earned him international recognition, including the 2006 ‘Prince Mahidol Award’ and the ‘Fries Prize for Improving Health’ in 2011. His academic contributions spanned over 40 years as a teacher at Harvard TH Chan school of public health, where he trained future generations of public health professionals.

Born on 9 June 1941, Richard Cash was an American by birth.

BSS