A new horizon has been opened up for cancer treatment in Bangladesh as the country's largest cancer hospital formally started its journey on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the much-awaited state- of-the-art Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital in the capital’s Uttra area on Wednesday afternoon.
While opening the multi-modality cancer care hospital, the PM said: "I hope that you would always remain careful so that the common people, especially the cancer patients, get scope for treatment easily and at low costs."
Sheikh Hasina assured all kinds of the government assistance in the development activities of the hospital which would treat both cancer and general patients would continue in future like the past.
The PM requested well-off people of the society to extend their hands to build the hospital as a most modern institute in cancer treatment.
She urged all to work for the welfare of the people and taking the country forward by shunning all differences.
Hasina said: "Let us come to work for the welfare of the people and taking the country forward by shunning all differences so that Bangladesh could stand on the world stage by keeping its head high."
Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, Social Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali, former minister Advocate Sahara Khatun, MP, eminent jurist and Advisor of the Ahsania Mission Barrister Rafiq-ul Haque, President of Ahsania Mission Kazi Rafiqul Alam and advisor of Ahsania Mission Syed Dina Haque also spoke on the occasion.
The 15-storeied hospital is located over 6.5 bighas of land, providing 4.5 lakh square feet of space and has been constructed in three phases.
Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM), a voluntary development organization, dedicated to humanitarian services took up the project for establishment of multi - modality cancer care as a center of excellence within the hospital capable of offering modern cancer treatment and other health services, said the official website of the DAM.
The statement read: “The hospital has been built with the “generous” contribution from people based on estimates of the Bangladesh Cancer Society there are currently more than 12,00,000 cancer patients in Bangladesh. “
About 200,000 new cancer patients are added each year and 150,000 die from the disease annually.