Cancer patients are treated mainly in three ways – chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. Cancer is a disease that spreads rapidly if radiotherapy is stopped midway.
The hospital treats the largest number of cancer patients in the country with around 1000-1200 people undergoing outdoor treatment every day. The cheap cost of radiotherapy is the main reason for so many patients seeking treatment here. The cost of one session of radiotherapy in the hospital is only Rs 200 while the cost in any private hospital is Rs 4000-8000.
Prothom Alo published a photo of the hospital on 15 February showing that there were no patients in the radiotherapy department. According to the World Health Organisation’s standard, there should be at least 170 cancer centers in the country but there are only 33 including government and private. It is not difficult to guess how other cancer hospitals are faring when the biggest hospital is in such a dilapidated condition.