After the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, the political, economic and medical system was in disarray. The UK's General Medical Council de-recognised medical graduates and the country faced a severe shortage of doctors. Ali Ashraf played a key role in restoring the standards of medical education, especially in surgical specialties. He was one of the main founders of the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS) in 1972, which was modeled after the Royal Colleges in Great Britain. He has held key positions at BCPS, including vice president and president for 10 years. Ashraf knew the founding president of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from his studies in Calcutta. When he treated the president's wife in the early days of the new country, he drew attention to the lack of trained doctors.