The government is going to set up cancer hospital in every divisional headquarters to facilitate cost and time effective treatment for the people of the country.
As part of this move, Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved a Tk23.88 billion project on Tuesday to establish the new hospitals.
The project will be implemented by the Directorate General of Health Services by 2022.“The project aims to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment of ordinary people who suffer from cancer,” Planning Minister MA Mannan told reporters after the meeting.
The project also aims to reduce the dependence on foreign countries for cancer treatment and save foreign currency, he said.
Currently, poor and middle-class cancer patients across the country rely on National Institute of Cancer Research & Hospital (NICRH) at Mohakhali in the capital for treatment.
Rich people either receive treatment from some costly private hospitals or go abroad.
Early diagnosis is very important for saving life, say experts.
If every division gets specialized cancer hospital, people will be diagnosed with the deadly disease at early state and their lives will be saved, they opined.