Government Decides to Set Up National Molecular Biology Laboratory, Says Health State Minister

The government has decided to set up a 'National Molecular Biology Laboratory,' State Minister for Health Dr M A Muhith has said. He also announced plans to build cancer treatment facilities in every divisional city of Bangladesh.

He made the remarks on Friday (13 November) as chief guest at the opening of the Sixth Bangladesh Breast Cancer Conference 2026 (BBC26) at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel in the capital. The conference was organised by the Bangladesh Society for Breast Cancer Study (BSBCS).

The state minister said the use of molecular biology techniques in cancer treatment is bringing major change worldwide. The decision to establish the laboratory at national level has been taken to improve the future health system, and work on it has already begun, he said.

He added that alongside buying modern equipment for cancer institutes, programmes are under way to train new cancer specialists and skilled manpower at home and abroad.

Placing the highest importance on early detection of breast cancer, the state minister said many women in Bangladesh die of breast cancer every year. Research shows most patients see a doctor only at an advanced stage of the disease, he said.

The later the disease is detected, the greater the complications and the risk of it spreading, he said. But if breast cancer is detected at the very earliest stage and treated properly, the death rate is very low and patients can live healthily for a long time.

Stressing the need for regular screening programmes for women of specific ages, Dr Muhith said widespread public awareness and specific screening programmes must be launched to detect breast cancer quickly. Proper screening can catch the risk or symptoms at the very beginning, he said.

The opening session, chaired by BSBCS president Professor Dr Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, was addressed by the conference organising secretary Dr Md Arifur Rahman, while BSBCS general secretary Dr Arunangshu Das presented the organisation's activities over the past year and the conference's main theme.

UNFPA Bangladesh representative Catherine Breen Kamkong, U.S. experts Professor Dr Ismail Jatoi and Professor Dr Don S. Dizon spoke as special guests. BSBCS patrons Professor Dr M. A. Hai and Professor Dr Md Sanowar Hossain also addressed the event.