Experts have called for a strategic shift in Bangladesh’s approach to cancer, urging that prevention, screening, registration, and palliative care be given top priority.
Speaking at an event organised by Gonoshasthaya Kendra Urban Hospital in the capital on Wednesday to mark World Cancer Day, specialists emphasised that health policy must be redesigned to focus on the needs and experiences of people rather than solely relying on treatment.
Prof Dr Md Habibullah Talukdar Ruskin, the founder and chief coordinator of the Bangladesh Breast Cancer Awareness Forum, added that the healthcare system should be built around the person, not just the disease.
“We are no longer willing to see cancer merely as a disease. The health system must be organised by placing people at the centre,” he stated.
He highlighted that according to the Globocan 2022 report, approximately 167,000 people are newly diagnosed with cancer in Bangladesh every year, while 110,000 succumb to the disease.
However, the actual statistics remain unknown due to the absence of a national cancer registration system.
Prof Ruskin noted that current figures are merely estimates based on the population dynamics and findings from cancer registries in neighbouring countries. He stressed the urgent need for both hospital-based and population-based national cancer registries.
He further criticised the current mindset of doctors, the public, and government planners, noting that budgets and plans are overwhelmingly focused on treatment, which occurs long after a person has been affected by various risk factors.
Public health expert Monjur Kadir Ahmed highlighted the devastating socio-economic impact of the disease, stating that cancer and kidney ailments often exhaust a family’s resources before the patient passes away.
He remarked that despite the country’s inability to afford such expensive treatments, efforts to promote prevention and screening are sometimes met with ridicule. He called for a significant emphasis on screening as a vital necessity for the country’s socio-economic context.
Professor Abdul Hamid of the Department of Health Economics at Dhaka University discussed the role of lifestyle and environmental factors.
While some lifestyle factors can be managed individually, he noted that the state and society must address issues such as adulterated food, contaminated food, and chemical exposure.
He suggested that integrating health education into the national curriculum would be an effective way to tackle these challenges.
To improve the situation, experts recommended the establishment of fully equipped cancer centres in all eight divisions, the creation of full-fledged cancer departments in every medical college, and the provision of screening and detection facilities at district and upazila hospitals.
