Dr. Edric Baker is the New Zealand hero you’ve probably never heard of. He was never knighted, despite possibly saving more lives than almost any New Zealander in the last 50 years. But thanks to Kate Day’s wonderful biography, you can be inspired and challenged by this humble titan. My recommendation couldn’t be stronger – especially if you’re interested in medical work or public health.

Edric inspires me in the same way as Kiwi legends such as Kate Sheppard and Mason Durie, except that he kept quiet and humble about his incredible achievements – that’s why you have probably never heard of him.

Gareth Morgan, high profile New Zealand multi-millionaire understood the importance of both Edric’s work and the man himself. Despite not being religious himself, he once exclaimed “Edrick Baker is New Zealand’s mother Theresa”. The Morgan Foundation’s philanthropy funded Kailakuri hospital when money was running out, and when Edric’s life was coming to an close in desperation Gareth penned an article to try and replace him. The intimidating title?

“Only Heroes Need Apply”  

In a nutshell, Edric set up two hospitals in Bangladesh which served hundreds of thousands of remote rural people sand saved thousands of their lives – on a shoestring budget. He achieved this through a range of unorthodox, outside the box innovations. The most incredible might be that he operated the hospital not primarily by hiring qualified staff, but by training local people to treat patients through strict guidelines and protocol. He was ahead of his time with this “task-shifting” innovation- the global revolution of community health workers only emerged years later. 

Another on-the-spot innovation was his remarkable decision to refill IV fluid bags during a cholera epidemic, when otherwise patents have died for lack of any other IV supplies. This account from Judy Walter (all quotes from the book).

“24 hours later I could see that not only were the homemade IV solutions helping save lives, but also patients who were being hydrated via muscle were coming out of shock and we could use their veins for IV hydration. I had never experienced anything like it before. It was against everything I ever learned in nurses training. The death rate was high, but the patients who walked away were nothing short of miraculous.”

And then during that same cholera epidemic, his unwavering commitment and almost absurd humility shone through:

“If I get cholera, treat me as just one of the pattients, nothing special like flying doctors… let me die here like the rest.”

Edric’s humble room, now a memorial

We live in an age bereft of heroes. Our hypercritical, fast moving culture rips people off their pedestals almost as fast as they are hoisted up. Even Greta Thunberg the climate change icon has recently receded from public view partly due to this hypercritical culture.

But we need heroes. Not to make us feel guilty at our own far-less-impressive lives, or even as some kind of ideal to fail to live up to, but to show us a glimpse of heaven breaking through to earth – to open our minds to what is possible, as a salve for the soul. To give us a fresh dose of hope, and perhaps even to inspire a fresh look at our own future, however humble it seems compared to heroes like Edric. 

Edric’s is artfully crafted by Kate, with her passion and depth of research jumping out of the pages. Kate also dedicates almost a whole chapter to Edric’s kinks and flaws – an important yet rare addition to hero narratives.

So read “Call me brother”. Be shocked, inspired and humbled. Your soul will thank you – only $9 on amazon or order a paperback here

All proceeds go to Kailakuri hospital Edric founded.

Aroha nui