Bangladesh requires at least 170 cancer treatment centres based on the World Health Organization’s recommendation of one per million people. However, the country currently has only around 20, with the majority located in Dhaka.
The government initiated a project to set up comprehensive cancer treatment centres in all eight divisional cities. But six years into the project, it remains in the construction phase, with no clear timeline for the procurement of equipment or recruitment of staff.
In 2008, with assistance from the WHO, Bangladesh developed a National Cancer Control Strategy, followed by a work plan for 2009-2015. Unfortunately, the plan has yet to be effectively implemented or updated.
These issues were discussed during a seminar titled “Analysis of the Latest Situation and Steps to Overcome the Problems” at the Jatiya Press Club on the eve of World Cancer Day. The event was jointly organized by the 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 highlighted the urgent need for population-based cancer registration to accurately track cases. “Bangladesh lacks a reliable national cancer registry, and we depend on the Globocan data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer to understand cancer prevalence,” he said.
Dr. Ruskin proposed several measures to address these challenges, including reviving and restructuring the National Cancer Control Council, establishing a national cancer registration and screening program, training local doctors for community-based screenings, and decentralising cancer diagnosis and treatment through public-private partnerships. He also emphasized the need for accountability for the negligence and irregularities in cancer care that deprive the public of essential services.
Additionally, he called for investigations into the ongoing non-functioning of radiotherapy machines at the National Cancer Institute and delays in launching the National Cancer Screening and Registration Programme.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), around 167,000 people in Bangladesh are diagnosed with cancer annually, with approximately 117,000 deaths reported each year.
