It is good not to note that Cancer, as a fatal disease, is deservedly grabbing the attention of not only the individuals who have had encounters, directly or indirectly, with its mortal effect but also the health authorities in recent times.
While speaking at Dhaka Cancer Summit 2019 titled 'Sharing the experiences, Making the differences' at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Planning Minister MA Mannan on Friday said the government is working to provide better cancer treatment in the country.
In Bangladesh around 13-15 lakh people are currently suffering from cancer. High cost of treatment, lack of adequate radiation facilities, shortage of skilled manpower, and lack of awareness within the community are the main challenges hindering cancer care in the country. Besides, unavailability of trained medical personnel is a significant barrier in the development of radiation treatment facilities in the country. Therefore, it is high time to take necessary steps to decrease the treatment cost of cancer. Besides, the medical sector of the country should train medical physicists and therapists in order to provide modern radiation treatment facilities.
Bangladesh needs to create an updated
cancer control plan supported by
accurate data, reliable cancer
registries and evaluation programmes
It is disgraceful to learn that in Bangladesh, we do not have a national cancer registry and as a consequence we still have not been able to determine the number of patients receiving cancer treatment in the country, or have gone abroad for treatment. According to a WHO study, around 59 per cent of the deaths in Bangladesh are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCD), 10 per cent of which are caused by cancer. We are told that only a few government hospitals and one or two private ones have radiotherapy/oncology departments in Bangladesh.
Cancer is 95 percent curable if it is identified at the primary stage but unfortunately majority of our patients are identified at the advanced stage because of lack of awareness. Authorities concerned should therefore devise a plan to make people aware of cancer. Concerted efforts by the government and private sectors are needed for gradual progress in cancer management. Also there is a need to create an updated cancer control plan supported by
accurate data, reliable cancer registries and evaluation programmes.