Cancer Treatment Facilities Are being Set Up in Every Divisional City: State Minister for Health
State Minister for Health Dr MA Muhit has said the government has decided to establish cancer treatment facilities in every divisional city and set up a National Molecular Biology Laboratory to promote advanced medical research, including cancer biology.
He made the announcement while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the Sixth Bangladesh Breast Cancer Conference 2026 (BBC26) in Dhaka on Friday (November 13). The conference was organised by the Bangladesh Society for Breast Cancer Study (BSBCS).
Speaking about the government’s plans to introduce modern medical technologies and develop skilled professionals, MA Muhit said molecular biology techniques were bringing major changes to cancer treatment worldwide.
He said the government had decided to establish a National Molecular Biology Laboratory to strengthen the country’s future healthcare system, and work on the initiative had already begun. He added that the government was also working to procure modern equipment for cancer institutes and develop new cancer specialists and skilled healthcare professionals through training programmes at home and abroad.
In his speech, the state minister placed the highest priority on the early detection of breast cancer. He said many women in Bangladesh die from breast cancer every year. Research shows that most patients seek medical attention when the disease has already reached an advanced stage. The later cancer is detected, the greater the risk of complications and its spread to other parts of the body.
He stressed that cancer was no longer necessarily a fatal disease. In particular, if breast cancer is detected at a very early stage and treated properly, the death rate can be very low, allowing patients to live healthy lives for many years.
He further said widespread public awareness campaigns and targeted screening programmes for women in specific age groups were necessary to ensure early detection of breast cancer. Proper screening can help identify potential risks or early signs of the disease at the earliest stage, he added.
