Country needs 170 cancer treatment centres, has only 20
Bangladesh needs at least 170 cancer treatment centres, as per the World Health Organization's recommendation of one per million people.
However, the country has only about 20, mostly concentrated in Dhaka.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The government launched a project to establish full-fledged cancer centres in all eight divisional cities, but six years on, the project is still in construction phase, with no clear timeline for equipment procurement or staff recruitment.
A National Cancer Control Strategy was developed in 2008 with WHO assistance, followed by a work plan for 2009-2015, but it has yet to be effectively implemented or updated.
Speakers shared these concerns at a discussion titled "Analysis of the Latest Situation and Steps to Overcome the Problems" at the Jatiya Press Club today, marking World Cancer Day, which is tomorrow.
The event was jointly organised by World Cancer Society Bangladesh, Bangladesh Cancer Foundation, and the Bangladesh Breast Cancer Awareness Forum.
In his keynote speech, cancer epidemiologist Prof Dr Habibullah Talukder Ruskin emphasised the need for population-based cancer registration to track cases accurately.
"Bangladesh lacks a reliable national cancer registry or survey. We rely on Globocan of the International Agency for Research on Cancer to understand cancer's prevalence," he said.
Dr Ruskin proposed several measures, including reviving and restructuring the National Cancer Control Council, establishing a national cancer registration and screening program, training doctors at the upazila level for community-based screening, involving all stakeholders in awareness campaigns, and decentralising cancer diagnosis and treatment through public-private partnerships.
He urged accountability for negligence and irregularities in cancer care that deprive the public of essential treatment, diagnosis, or prevention services.
He also called for investigations into the prolonged non-functioning of radiotherapy machines at the National Cancer Institute and delays in launching the National Cancer Screening and Registration Programme.
According to IARC estimates, around 167,000 people are diagnosed with cancer annually in Bangladesh, with approximately 117,000 deaths each year.