Cancer cases are growing alarmingly. According to the WHO, Bangladesh had recorded 1,67,256 cases of cancer patients in 2022, of whom 1,16,598 succumbed to the deadly disease. The facts and figures shows that both the cancer cases and deaths are on the rise, and the projection that the country will have 3,47,783 cancer patients in 2050 is frightening.
Sadly, cancer treatment remains largely centralised in Dhaka, leaving patients in remote rural areas uncared for. Government hospitals are overwhelmed with patients, while treatment costs in private facilities are exorbitant. A PET CT scan, for instance, costs between Tk65,000 to 70,000 in private hospitals, half the price in government facilities but with long waiting periods. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery are very expensive.
According to a study by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Research (BIDS), the average out-of-pocket expenditure for treating a cancer patient in Bangladesh is Tk 5,47,840. Poor patients cannot afford these costs and irregularities and corruption stand on their way to accessing free medicines in government hospitals.
In this respect, establishment of a national cancer fund to provide free or at least subsidised cancer treatment to the poor is necessary. Creation of such a fund can help the poor's cancer treatment.
Nahida Nishi
A conscious citizen
Dhaka
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