Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
A prolonged shortage of radioactive iodine -- a critical post-surgical treatment for thyroid cancer -- has left patients across Bangladesh in limbo, with many facing delays of over six months amid growing uncertainty and distress.
The import of the life-saving medicine has remained suspended due to administrative delays, reportedly stemming from the Ministry of Science and Technology's failure to prioritise the issue.
Monirul Huq, a private sector employee from Gazipur, underwent thyroid cancer surgery last December at Anwar Khan Modern Hospital in the capital. However, he is still awaiting the essential iodine therapy.
Nur Nahar Begum, wife of another thyroid cancer patient, said they received appointments for radioactive iodine therapy twice since February, but both were deferred due to medicine shortages at the National Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (NINMAS).
"We're extremely worried about whether my husband will receive the treatment. Usually, patients travel to India when it's unavailable here, but Indian visa issuance is currently suspended," she said.
"We were initially scheduled for August 26, but it has now been pushed to September 2 -- even that seems uncertain." she added.
Responding to a query from The Financial Express on Thursday, Md Mokabbir Hossain, senior secretary at the Ministry of Science and Technology, said he was unaware of the medicine shortage until it was reported in the media.
"I asked the director of the institute. The Atomic Energy Commission is responsible for importing radioactive iodine. The previous supplier has changed, and a new tender process is underway," he explained.
"We cannot allow direct imports without following the tender process. A certain group is pressuring the government to bypass procedures and import the iodine," he said.
He also added that Dhaka Medical College Hospital had informed him that patients were receiving radioactive iodine there, but he would investigate the situation at NINMAS.
Dr Md Abdul Karim Mithu, a thyroid cancer specialist, emphasised the urgent need for radioactive iodine as part of post-operative treatment.
"The government claims patients are getting radioactive iodine through an alternative method. But what alternative exists for such a critical treatment?" he questioned.
"Patients who have undergone surgery are returning to us, desperate for follow-up therapy. We've tried to raise awareness within the government about the seriousness of this issue, but it hasn't yielded any results," he added.
According to the Global Cancer Observatory of the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladesh reported 1,671 new thyroid cancer cases in 2022.
doulotakter11@gmail.com