“Sometimes, these children seem mentally stronger than their parents as they count the last few days of their lives,” added Akram.
According to World Child Cancer, two million children in Bangladesh are in need of palliative care and 29,000 need specialized end-of-life care. However, less than 1% of the children requiring palliative care in Bangladesh have access to it.
Ashic was founded by Salma Choudhury in memory of her three-year-old son Ashiq, who succumbed to cancer after a long battle. Since its establishment in 1994, the Ashic Foundation has helped thousands of patients like Tanjim and Akram.
Salma, also the Ashic chairperson, told the Dhaka Tribune that many parents had to see their children die slowly as they could not afford the treatment cost.
“Cancer treatment is expensive. Even at a hospital like PG, the lowest treatment cost is Tk6-7 lakhs,” she said. “The poor cannot afford it. There is now a new trend of flying abroad, especially to India, because of lack of faith in diagnosis reports here.”
Salma Choudhury explained that improving the scenario will require developing skilled human resources in laboratories, recruiting oncologists and pediatric oncologists at divisional government hospitals, expanding the availability of palliative care, upgrading technology, and financial assistance from the government.
“Some 12,000-15,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year,” she said. “The survival rate of childhood cancer patients has increased now compared to 20 years ago.”
Bangladesh Child Cancer Project estimates that only 1,000 of the children diagnosed with cancer each year have access to healthcare.
Ashic Foundation currently runs eight programs for child cancer patients – patient services, counselling programs, a play centre, an outing program, the shelter for family members, financial support for treatment, a palliative care unit, and a wish list program. It plans to eventually launch a hospital focused on providing holistic care to cancer-affected children and support to their families.I heard Tanjim’s laughter as I was about to knock on the shelter’s door. The three-year-old boy was playing with his mother as she was trying to feed him. He laughed gleefully whenever his mother failed to catch him. His innocent and lively smile gave no indication of the excruciating pain he suffers.
Tanjim was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma last December.
“His pain and suffering are beyond imagination, but he never stops laughing – this laughter is a hope for life and winning the battle against cancer,” said Mohammad Akram Hossain, the in-charge of Ashic Shelter, a 20-bed facility in Dhaka for families of cancer-affected children from rural areas.
Akram, 28, is also a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of four. His father, a fourth-grade government employee, struggled a lot when his elder son Akram was diagnosed with cancer. While seeking treatment, Akram’s family faced tremendous financial challenges. At that time, hospital authorities informed his father about Ashic Foundation, which provides financial and logistical assistance to cancer-affected children and their families.
“I would not be alive if it was not for Ashic Foundation,” Akram said. “I can feel the pain of these children. I can understand the struggle of their families. Many of them lose hope or cannot afford the treatment cost and simply accept that cancer is a fatal disease.”
New patients at the shelter are usually scared of the treatment process as it often involves baldness. Some children cannot accept this, as they become an easy target for bullying when they go back home, Akram said. Other children at the shelter support the new patients and give them hope and strength.
“Sometimes, these children seem mentally stronger than their parents as they count the last few days of their lives,” added Akram.
According to World Child Cancer, two million children in Bangladesh are in need of palliative care and 29,000 need specialized end-of-life care. However, less than 1% of the children requiring palliative care in Bangladesh have access to it.
Ashic was founded by Salma Choudhury in memory of her three-year-old son Ashiq, who succumbed to cancer after a long battle. Since its establishment in 1994, the Ashic Foundation has helped thousands of patients like Tanjim and Akram.
Salma, also the Ashic chairperson, told the Dhaka Tribune that many parents had to see their children die slowly as they could not afford the treatment cost.
“Cancer treatment is expensive. Even at a hospital like PG, the lowest treatment cost is Tk6-7 lakhs,” she said. “The poor cannot afford it. There is now a new trend of flying abroad, especially to India, because of lack of faith in diagnosis reports here.”
Salma Choudhury explained that improving the scenario will require developing skilled human resources in laboratories, recruiting oncologists and pediatric oncologists at divisional government hospitals, expanding the availability of palliative care, upgrading technology, and financial assistance from the government.
“Some 12,000-15,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year,” she said. “The survival rate of childhood cancer patients has increased now compared to 20 years ago.”
Bangladesh Child Cancer Project estimates that only 1,000 of the children diagnosed with cancer each year have access to healthcare.
Ashic Foundation currently runs eight programs for child cancer patients – patient services, counselling programs, a play centre, an outing program, the shelter for family members, financial support for treatment, a palliative care unit, and a wish list program. It plans to eventually launch a hospital focused on providing holistic care to cancer-affected children and support to their families.
“Sometimes, these children seem mentally stronger than their parents as they count the last few days of their lives,” added Akram.
According to World Child Cancer, two million children in Bangladesh are in need of palliative care and 29,000 need specialized end-of-life care. However, less than 1% of the children requiring palliative care in Bangladesh have access to it.
Ashic was founded by Salma Choudhury in memory of her three-year-old son Ashiq, who succumbed to cancer after a long battle. Since its establishment in 1994, the Ashic Foundation has helped thousands of patients like Tanjim and Akram.
Salma, also the Ashic chairperson, told the Dhaka Tribune that many parents had to see their children die slowly as they could not afford the treatment cost.
“Cancer treatment is expensive. Even at a hospital like PG, the lowest treatment cost is Tk6-7 lakhs,” she said. “The poor cannot afford it. There is now a new trend of flying abroad, especially to India, because of lack of faith in diagnosis reports here.”
Salma Choudhury explained that improving the scenario will require developing skilled human resources in laboratories, recruiting oncologists and pediatric oncologists at divisional government hospitals, expanding the availability of palliative care, upgrading technology, and financial assistance from the government.
“Some 12,000-15,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year,” she said. “The survival rate of childhood cancer patients has increased now compared to 20 years ago.”
Bangladesh Child Cancer Project estimates that only 1,000 of the children diagnosed with cancer each year have access to healthcare.
Ashic Foundation currently runs eight programs for child cancer patients – patient services, counselling programs, a play centre, an outing program, the shelter for family members, financial support for treatment, a palliative care unit, and a wish list program. It plans to eventually launch a hospital focused on providing holistic care to cancer-affected children and support to their families.