Praava Health will launch the nation’s first molecular cancer diagnostics lab in Dhaka's Banani area this summer. The lab will include facilities for family doctors, allied health providers and visiting specialists.
The announcement was made on Saturday by the healthcare provider in a seminar on “Molecular Cancer Diagnostics, Cancer Prevention and the Moonshot Programme” at a restaurant in Dhaka.
Praava Health founder and CEO Sylvana Q Sinha told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have an international standard lab to diagnose cancer and a doctors’ panel to follow up on patients.”
In reply to a query, she said: “We cannot offer hospital facilities at this time, but we have plans to set up a chemotherapy centre very soon. Our plan is to sign a deal with some hospitals in Dhaka and abroad to provide hospital facilities to patients.”
According to Praava Health, cancer is the sixth leading cause of death in Bangladesh, and the death rate is expected to increase from 7.5% in 2005 to 13% by 2030. An estimated 1.5 million Bangladeshis are cancer patients, with almost 200,000 being newly diagnosed every year.
Praava Health senior director and scientist Zaheed Husain said cancer is still a dreaded disease claiming millions of lives worldwide. Seven of every 10 deaths in Africa, Asia, and South America are due to cancer. Most deaths are caused by delayed diagnoses.
Husain said: “For the first time, Bangladeshi patients will get access to new technology to diagnose the cancer at its early stage at the Praava Health lab.”
Thursday, June 04, 2026
