Disrupted Care: War, Unorganized Healing, and the Absence of Drug Delivery Systems in Tahmima Anam’s First Two Novels

Abstract

This study explores the disintegration of the healthcare system and the shortage of medicines in Tahmima Anam’s novels, A Golden Age and The Good Muslim. These novels depict events that occurred during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 and the period following it (1972-1984). The notion of therapeutic absence is defined as a crisis where illnesses, wounds, and injuries are prevalent without any clinical treatment or medication. Based on a multi-disciplinary approach that integrates literature, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and the resilience and adaptation theory, this paper discusses how the interruption of the distribution of medicines and medical equipment leads to a shift towards unorthodox, gendered care. The narratives highlight the resilience of communities and the adaptive capacity of informal caregiving networks through literary techniques. For policymakers and local actors, these impoverished strategies can serve as enablers for designing more inclusive drug delivery systems, strengthening community-based health responses, and advancing the goals of SDG 3. At the same time, they serve as reminders of the need for stronger drug delivery systems in the conflict zones.