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. Currently, there are around 15 lakh cancer patients in Bangladesh with 1.5 lakh of them dying each year.
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.
Few government hospitals and
one or two private
ones have radiotherapy oncology
departments while others provide
only medical oncology service
It is disgraceful to note 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. Few government hospitals and one or two private ones have radiotherapy/oncology departments while others provide only medical oncology service. Reportedly, National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) provide cancer treatment to maximum number of patients. About 1,200 cancer patients come to the cancer hospital for treatment, of which 550 get radiotherapy and 275 chemotherapy. Apart from government initiative, some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are also involved in cancer care.
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. Last but not the least, there is a need to create a new or updated cancer control plan supported by accurate data, reliable cancer registries and monitoring and evaluation programmes. All key stakeholders should be involved in the planning stages.
