Govt plans major expansion of cancer care, radiotherapy facilities: Sakhawat

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain today (26 October)said the government has taken steps to expand cancer treatment facilities across the country, with the procurement of new radiotherapy and robotic surgery equipment underway.

“We are working fast to establish eight cancer institutes in the eight divisions and expand radiotherapy services at district level to ensure cancer treatment at the grassroots,” he said.

The minister made the remarks as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the Medical Physics Programme at BRAC University in the city’s Merul Badda area this morning (26 October).

The Department of Mathematics and Physical Sciences at BRAC University has introduced the two-year master’s programme for the first time in Bangladesh to meet the country’s growing demand for medical physicists.

Speaking about the government’s commitment to ensuring cancer treatment, Sakhawat said the government had planned to procure 17 linear accelerators to make cancer treatment available across the country.

“We are also going to bring five major robotic surgery machines for the first time,” he said, emphasising early detection and public awareness as critical components of the government’s cancer control strategy, particularly for breast and cervical cancers.

He said the government would intensify HPV vaccination campaigns and promote breast cancer self-screening and awareness among women.

“Without awareness, we cannot save people from cancer,” Sakhawat said, urging health professionals and educational institutions to help raise awareness at the grassroots level.

Criticising the previous “fascist regime”, he said the former government had damaged the country’s health sector, which had been marred by corruption and plundering.

Since assuming office, the present government has taken robust steps to develop the country’s health sector, he said, adding that the implementation of the planned projects would bring about a revolutionary change in the sector within the next two years.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, we are taking healthcare services to the village level,” the minister said, adding that the government planned to establish Family Wellbeing Centres in every three wards of each union and transform existing community clinics into Health Wellbeing Centres.

“These centres will provide primary-level services, including blood analysis and breast cancer screening,” he said.

Noting that every upazila hospital would be upgraded to a 150-bed facility, the minister said the government would strengthen dialysis, physiotherapy, maternal and newborn care services at upazila-level hospitals to reduce pressure on tertiary healthcare facilities.

Sakhawat said the government would soon appoint 5,000 doctors. It is also working to increase the number of hospital beds and recruit around 41,390 healthcare workers, including 25,000 midwives, to strengthen healthcare delivery.

Regarding the newly introduced programme at BRAC University, he assured the university of government support for developing medical physics education and manpower, saying medical physicists would be recruited according to the needs of the expanding cancer treatment facilities.

“Medical physics is a very important part of treatment. You do your best and improve yourselves. From the government side, we must extend our hand of cooperation to you,” the minister said.

He said medical physicists play a crucial role in radiotherapy, as the accuracy of radiation dosage is vital to ensuring patient safety and treatment effectiveness.

“If the dose is wrong, the patient is gone. If the dose is wrong, the doctor’s credibility is gone,” he said, stressing the need to train an adequate number of medical physicists.

He urged BRAC University students, teachers and researchers to contribute to strengthening medical physics education and cancer care in Bangladesh.

Professor Emeritus at the University of Dhaka Dr AFM Yusuf Haider, Additional Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Professor Dr Jalal Uddin Mohammad Rumi, Chairman of the Clinical Oncology Department at Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) Professor Dr Syed Md Akram Hussain, Director of the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) Professor Dr Mostafa Aziz Sumon, and Project Director of the Establishment of Integrated Cancer, Kidney and Heart Treatment Centres across Bangladesh’s Eight Divisional Cities Dr Md Toufiq Hasan Firoz spoke as special guests at the event.

BRAC University Vice-Chancellor Professor Syed Ferhat Anwar chaired the programme, while Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) Department Chairperson Professor Hasibun Naher and the university’s Registrar and Controller of Examinations Dr David Dowland delivered the welcome address.

Professor Dr Golam Abu Zakaria, former director and chief medical physicist at Gummersbach University Hospital, University of Cologne, Germany, and adviser and coordinator of MPS at BRAC University, presented the keynote paper. Medical Physics Programme Coordinator Professor Hasin Anupama Azhari gave an overview of the newly introduced programme.