Huge amount of money spent abroad on NCD treatment: CA

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus said that a significant amount of money flows out of the country as people seek treatment abroad for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). He stressed the need to raise awareness to prevent or reduce the incidence of such illnesses.

He made these remarks on Wednesday (August 20) at the Shapla Hall of the Chief Adviser’s Office in Dhaka, during the signing of a joint declaration by 35 ministries on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

The Chief Adviser said, “When people suffer from non-communicable diseases, they face high medical expenses. If someone has cancer, their family must use all their financial resources and often becomes helpless. In some cases, treatment abroad at very high costs is necessary. Huge sums of money go abroad to cover these medical expenses. Therefore, it is essential to improve the management of NCD treatment, as well as create public awareness and effective prevention and control measures to reduce or prevent these diseases.”

He futher said, “The Health Services Division alone cannot handle this. Cooperation from all ministries is required. Every sector—food, agriculture, education, sports, local government, housing, and public works—has an important role to play.”

The Chief Adviser further said, “Each sector needs specific action plans and focused initiatives. These ministries have been identified and their responsibilities defined. Still, I want to emphasise a few key points to ensure effective implementation of the joint declaration.”

“Along with government efforts, private initiatives are needed for implementing the joint declaration. Regional and global technical support is also essential. I believe that applying a public-private partnership model will make implementation easier. I hope the Health Services Division will take initiatives, the signing ministries will cooperate, and the World Health Organization will provide necessary support,” he added.