Khulna Medical College Hospital is one of the primary sources of hope for cancer patients in the southwestern region of Bangladesh. Patients come not only from the Khulna Division but also from Barisal and Rajshahi every day seeking treatment. But due to shortages of manpower, infrastructure, and essential equipment, the hospital is unable to provide the expected care.
Patients and their families say that the department lacks inpatient facilities for cancer treatment, forcing patients who travel from distant areas to endure significant hardship. They often have to receive treatment only on an outpatient basis and return home, a process that is both physically exhausting and financially burdensome.
Patients and their relatives also allege that there is a severe shortage of chemotherapy services, an essential component of cancer treatment. While chemotherapy is available free of charge or at a nominal cost in government hospitals in Dhaka, patients at KMCH must pay substantial amounts for the same service. They further claim that many of the department’s physicians are affiliated with private clinics and hospitals and encourage patients to seek treatment there.
Md Al Masum Khan, joint general secretary of the Patients’ Welfare Association at KMCH, said, “The cancer department at KMCH is functioning in name only; the expected services aren’t being provided. Staff members who have been working here for many years have formed a syndicate. Due to commission-based practices, they are more interested in referring patients to private clinics and hospitals than in ensuring government healthcare services.”
Rejecting allegations regarding physicians’ involvement with private healthcare facilities, Dr. Md Mukitul Huda, head of the Cancer Department at KMCH, who has been serving at the same institution for more than a decade, said that the department currently has eight physicians and a total workforce of 24 people, which is insufficient to meet demand. Despite shortages of manpower, infrastructure, and medical equipment, the department provides treatment to nearly 2,000 patients annually.
He noted that cancer risks arise from hereditary, environmental, and certain lifestyle-related factors and added that the number of cancer patients in the region is increasing. “Among all cancer types, we’re seeing the highest number of breast cancer cases. We don’t have our own inpatient ward, which means there’s no dedicated facility to admit and treat patients. Even then, in complicated cases, we try to arrange admission and treatment by coordinating with other departments of the hospital. We’re able to treat patients with most forms of cancer here, except for blood cancer,” he said.
Dr Mukitul said, “The state-of-the-art linear accelerator (radiotherapy) machine, valued at nearly BDT 100 million, has remained boxed and abandoned at the entrance of the building for the past 14 years. Its service life has consequently expired, and it has effectively turned into scrap metal and obsolete equipment. Despite purchasing the machine in 2011 and arriving at the hospital in May 2012, it has never been installed. Because the machine remains non-operational, patients from this region have been forced to seek radiotherapy treatment in Dhaka or abroad.”
Explaining why the machine could not be installed, he said, “At the time of procurement, it was known that the necessary infrastructure wasn’t in place, but that issue was overlooked. The required radiation-shielded bunker couldn’t be constructed. Despite allocating approximately BDT 50 million for building the bunker, the funds were eventually returned because there was no scope to construct such a facility within the existing building.”
But he noted that there is some reason for optimism. Construction is currently underway for a divisional cancer hospital adjacent to the existing cancer treatment building. Under the project, a 15-storey building with two basement levels is being constructed. The facility will have 450 beds, of which 182 beds will be dedicated to cancer treatment, while the remaining beds will be used for cardiac and kidney care services.
The hospital authority allocated 23,250.46 square metres of land behind the outpatient department for the establishment of a comprehensive cancer treatment centre following plans to introduce separate cancer, kidney, and cardiac care units at KMCH, according to sources from the Public Works Department (PWD) and the health sector. On October 31, 2021, the PWD signed a contract with the joint venture contractors MBPL and SNBPL (JV) for the construction of the facility. The project is being implemented through 22 packages at a total cost of around BDT 2.80 billion.
PWD Executive Engineer Kamrul Hasan, Khulna-1, said, “The project has experienced some delays and deadline extensions for various reasons. But work is now progressing rapidly. More than 95 percent of the structural construction of the main building has already been completed. We expect the project to be finished by December this year.”
Regarding the overall situation, KMCH Director Kazi Ainul Islam said, “The hospital faces several challenges, including a shortage of manpower. Operations are still being conducted with staffing levels originally designated for a 500-bed hospital. As the number of patients is three to four times higher than the hospital’s intended capacity, providing healthcare services has become extremely challenging. Since joining in August 2025, I’ve been trying to address these problems gradually.”
“The cancer department’s linear accelerator (radiotherapy) machine has remained boxed and unused since 2012, significantly hampering cancer treatment services. We’ve repeatedly informed the relevant higher authorities about this issue,” he added.