Cancer treatment will get lion's share of health budget if needed:

TBS Report

19 October, 2026, 01:55 pm

Last modified: 19 October, 2026, 01:57 pm

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has said the lion's share of the health sector budget will be allocated to cancer treatment if necessary, pledging to speed up the installation of modern treatment equipment and seek duty-free benefits for importing the machinery.

He said initiatives were being taken to install radiotherapy machines quickly at cancer hospitals across the country so patients could receive modern treatment at home.

The minister made the remarks as chief guest at a discussion, titled "Cancer Care for All: Integration of Prevention, Precision Treatment, Palliative Care and Policymaking", at the National Cancer Conference 2026, held at the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital in Dhaka's Mohakhali today (19 October).

"The country possesses the necessary manpower and technologists to operate these modern machines," he said, adding that arrangements would be made to train them over the next three months if necessary to ensure the equipment was used effectively.

He also said initiatives would be taken with the prime minister's support to secure duty-free benefits for importing the machinery and eliminate delays in its installation and commissioning.

Criticising past mismanagement in the health sector, Sakhawat Husain said 17 years of [Awami League] rule had significantly set back the sector. He warned that negligence would not be tolerated and that those who failed to perform their duties could lose their jobs.

Prof Dr Mostafa Aziz Sumon, director of the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, chaired the discussion, which was also attended by BNP Standing Committee Member Prof Dr Farhad Halim Doner, Public Works Department Chief Engineer Md Khalequzzaman Chowdhury, and Directorate General of Health Services Additional Director General Professor Dr Zahid Raihan, among others.