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State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhit has announced plans to establish a National Molecular Biology Laboratory to advance medical research, particularly cancer biology, and expand cancer treatment facilities in every divisional city
He made the announcement on Thursday while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Sixth Bangladesh Breast Cancer Conference 2026 (BBC26) at a city hotel as the chief guest, according to a press release.
The conference was organised by the Bangladesh Society for Breast Cancer Study (BSBCS).
In his speech, Muhit stressed the importance of early detection of breast cancer, noting that many women in Bangladesh die from the disease every year because they seek medical attention when it has already reached an advanced stage.
Delayed diagnosis increases the risk of complications and the spread of cancer to other parts of the body, he said.
“Cancer is no longer an incurable disease. Particularly in the case of breast cancer, if it is detected at a very early stage and treated properly, the mortality rate is very low, and patients can live healthy lives for many years,” he said.
The state minister called for greater public awareness and regular, targeted screening programmes for women in specific age groups to identify breast cancer at an early stage.
He said advances in molecular biology techniques were transforming cancer treatment worldwide and that Bangladesh needed to strengthen its medical research and technological capabilities.
The government had already started work on establishing the proposed National Molecular Biology Laboratory, he added.
Alongside procuring modern equipment for cancer institutes, the government was also taking initiatives to develop specialised cancer doctors and skilled healthcare professionals through training programmes at home and abroad, Muhit said.
BSBCS President Professor Dr Qamruzzaman Chowdhury chaired the inaugural session, while the organisation’s General Secretary Dr Arunangshu Das highlighted its activities over the past year and the central theme of the conference.
BSBCS Organising Secretary Dr Md Arifur Rahman delivered the welcome address.
UNFPA Bangladesh Representative Catherine Breen Kamkong and US experts Professor Dr Ismail Jatoi and Professor Dr Don S Dizon attended the event as special guests.
BSBCS patrons Professor MA Hai and Professor Dr Md Sanawar Hossain also addressed the programme.