Reza Mahmud :
The number of cancer patients is rising alarmingly in the country leading to death of many people every year.
There are about 15 lakh cancer patients in the country now, according to Bangladesh Cancer Society.
A recent statistics of the National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital revealed that about 80 per cent cancer patients have increased in this hospital during the last one year.
The cancer patients have started increasing seriously in the hospital since 2011. Around 3,498 cancer patients were admitted to this hospital in 2011, 4,057 in 2014 and 7,285 in 2015, the data showed.
Among them, 92 patients died in 2011, 95 in 2012, 118 died in 2013, 90 in 2014 and 168 in 2015.
According to medical experts, 181 people out of one lakh are infected by cancer nowadays. Various causes are leading people to infect with this deadly cancer disease, they said.
“Badly changed of environment, and change of food habit and life style, are the major causes of the increased number of cancer patients nowadays,” Dr. Mokhlesuzzaman Hero, a public health specialists and deputy director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMUH) told The New Nation yesterday.
He added: “Insufficient capability to identify and treat the cancer disease at the earlier stage is also one of the major causes of the disease.”
Experts said, around one lakh and fifty thousand people are infected with cancer every year. One fourth of them get facilities to treatment, while the rest of the patients failed to get proper treatment.
Though the cancer patient is increasing in the country, the technology for proper treatment of the disease is insufficient, they said, adding most of the rural poor people are almost staying out side the treatment facilities of the disease.
Generally, the patients belonging to rich families go abroad for better treatment.
This correspondent while visiting the National Cancer Hospital at Mohakhali in the city found that some patients are taking treatment on the floor of the hospital due to insufficient number of beds there.
An official of the hospital, preferring anonymity, said the hospital has 300 beds, but the number of patient is more than three times now. So, the hospital is not in a position to provide treatment for every patient.
Even, they failed to give patients radiation therapy properly due to execs number of patients.
One of the professors of the institute not to be named said only medical oncologist can give chemo therapy properly. But there is no medical oncologist in every hospital. Other staff members of the hospitals give the service to the patients.
The patients alleged that the x-ray, biopsy and other pathological services are frequently disturbed. The concern officials said the machines are not in work. They push the patients to go outside to do the pathological tests prescribed by the physicians of the hospital.
The experts said, there is a serious lack of treatment capability in the country for the disease. There are insufficient hospitals and other treatment services for the cancer patients. It is pushing the country to a grave situation.
Sources said, there are 15 radiation therapy centers in the country. Nine of them are government and the rests are private. It is very insufficient for the increasing number of patients.
Experts said, use of tobacco related items like smoking is pushing people to lung cancers. A large portion of the patients are suffering from lung cancer because of smoking and tobacco-related habits.
Data shows that 60 percent of cancer patients are male. Of them, 13 percent are infected by lung cancer.
On the other hand, 33 percent of female patients were infected by breast cancer. 40 to 60 years people are mostly infected by cancer disease. Besides, the unsafe foods are also a major cause to the spread the disease.
Dr. Mukhlesuzzaman Hero said, various chemicals like formalin, used in foods are responsible for the spread of cancer disease. The environmental pollution is also pushing people to get infected with the disease, he said.
“Radiations of various technical materials like mobile phone, x-ray and other medical machineries are also responsible for the spread of cancer,” he said.
The chief of Cancer Epidemiology Department of National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital, Dr. Habibullah Talukdar Raskin, said, “The people have become conscious about cancer disease nowadays. But the treatment facilities are really insufficient in our country. It should be increased soon.”
The number of cancer patients is rising alarmingly in the country leading to death of many people every year.
There are about 15 lakh cancer patients in the country now, according to Bangladesh Cancer Society.
A recent statistics of the National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital revealed that about 80 per cent cancer patients have increased in this hospital during the last one year.
The cancer patients have started increasing seriously in the hospital since 2011. Around 3,498 cancer patients were admitted to this hospital in 2011, 4,057 in 2014 and 7,285 in 2015, the data showed.
Among them, 92 patients died in 2011, 95 in 2012, 118 died in 2013, 90 in 2014 and 168 in 2015.
According to medical experts, 181 people out of one lakh are infected by cancer nowadays. Various causes are leading people to infect with this deadly cancer disease, they said.
“Badly changed of environment, and change of food habit and life style, are the major causes of the increased number of cancer patients nowadays,” Dr. Mokhlesuzzaman Hero, a public health specialists and deputy director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital (BSMMUH) told The New Nation yesterday.
He added: “Insufficient capability to identify and treat the cancer disease at the earlier stage is also one of the major causes of the disease.”
Experts said, around one lakh and fifty thousand people are infected with cancer every year. One fourth of them get facilities to treatment, while the rest of the patients failed to get proper treatment.
Though the cancer patient is increasing in the country, the technology for proper treatment of the disease is insufficient, they said, adding most of the rural poor people are almost staying out side the treatment facilities of the disease.
Generally, the patients belonging to rich families go abroad for better treatment.
This correspondent while visiting the National Cancer Hospital at Mohakhali in the city found that some patients are taking treatment on the floor of the hospital due to insufficient number of beds there.
An official of the hospital, preferring anonymity, said the hospital has 300 beds, but the number of patient is more than three times now. So, the hospital is not in a position to provide treatment for every patient.
Even, they failed to give patients radiation therapy properly due to execs number of patients.
One of the professors of the institute not to be named said only medical oncologist can give chemo therapy properly. But there is no medical oncologist in every hospital. Other staff members of the hospitals give the service to the patients.
The patients alleged that the x-ray, biopsy and other pathological services are frequently disturbed. The concern officials said the machines are not in work. They push the patients to go outside to do the pathological tests prescribed by the physicians of the hospital.
The experts said, there is a serious lack of treatment capability in the country for the disease. There are insufficient hospitals and other treatment services for the cancer patients. It is pushing the country to a grave situation.
Sources said, there are 15 radiation therapy centers in the country. Nine of them are government and the rests are private. It is very insufficient for the increasing number of patients.
Experts said, use of tobacco related items like smoking is pushing people to lung cancers. A large portion of the patients are suffering from lung cancer because of smoking and tobacco-related habits.
Data shows that 60 percent of cancer patients are male. Of them, 13 percent are infected by lung cancer.
On the other hand, 33 percent of female patients were infected by breast cancer. 40 to 60 years people are mostly infected by cancer disease. Besides, the unsafe foods are also a major cause to the spread the disease.
Dr. Mukhlesuzzaman Hero said, various chemicals like formalin, used in foods are responsible for the spread of cancer disease. The environmental pollution is also pushing people to get infected with the disease, he said.
“Radiations of various technical materials like mobile phone, x-ray and other medical machineries are also responsible for the spread of cancer,” he said.
The chief of Cancer Epidemiology Department of National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital, Dr. Habibullah Talukdar Raskin, said, “The people have become conscious about cancer disease nowadays. But the treatment facilities are really insufficient in our country. It should be increased soon.”
