This piece brings together public remarks made by Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain at a discussion marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2026, held at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka in mid-October, as reported by The Business Standard. It is not an exclusive interview, and all quotations are as reported from the event.

On the limits of awareness campaigns: the minister said meetings, seminars and television broadcasts alone could not create sufficient awareness, and that doctors must play a more active role in educating women, including in rural areas.

On what doctors can do: he urged doctors to 'Return to your own villages at least two to three days a year.' He asked them to 'Gather local women and teach them the early signs of breast cancer and how to remain aware of their breasts.' Describing such work, he said: 'This is a service to humanity and a noble deed.'

On the government's plans: the minister said the government planned to introduce breast cancer screening at the grassroots level, alongside improving health infrastructure, recruiting doctors and midwives and expanding training.

Other voices at the event: Dr SM Ziauddin Hyder, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Health Affairs, said breast cancer is detected in 15 of every 100,000 women in Bangladesh and that nearly 63 per cent of affected women undergo no form of screening, so many cases are found late. He stressed prevention, early detection and timely treatment for non-communicable diseases. The event was chaired by Professor Dr Nashir Uddin, director of the institute.

Why it matters for Munshiganj: the minister's call for doctors to spend a few days a year in their home villages has an obvious local application in a district so close to Dhaka's hospitals and medical colleges. Upazila health complexes, community clinics, college health clubs and women's groups in Munshiganj could host short awareness sessions, and families can encourage women to learn the early signs and see a doctor promptly if they notice any change.

Photo: wishuponacupcake, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons