Health minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain on Thursday told Jatiya Sangsad that around 485 X-ray machines in 310 hospitals and about 395 ultrasound machines in 252 hospitals were lying out of order across the country.

Responding to a question in the Jatiya Sangsad from Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury, the minister provided the information.

The question-answer session was chaired by speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and was tabled during the parliamentary proceedings.

According to the minister, around 40 per cent of the X-ray machines are beyond repair, while the remaining 60 per cent have been sent for tendering for repair. In the case of ultrasound machines, around 35 per cent are beyond repair, while 65 per cent are repairable and have also been tendered.

The minister said procurement of heavy medical equipment such as MRI, CT scan, dialysis machines and ICU equipment had remained suspended for a long period.

He said the current government has resumed the procurement process, and four MRI machines are now being purchased.

Replying to another question from lawmaker Salahuddin of Gazipur-4, the minister said there are 41,806 approved doctor posts in government hospitals across the country, of which 9,407 are currently vacant.

In response to a question from reserved seat lawmaker Sanjida Yasmin, the minister said that according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer report, an estimated 167,256 new cancer cases are diagnosed in Bangladesh each year.

The report also estimated around 116,598 cancer-related deaths annually, while approximately 316,417 people are currently living with or undergoing treatment for cancer.

He said breast and cervical cancer are most common among women, while lung and oral cancers are more prevalent among men.

The minister said efforts are underway to establish population-based and hospital-based cancer registries through the National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital to develop a reliable national database.

He said that a project is being implemented to establish 100-bed comprehensive cancer treatment units in eight divisional government medical college hospitals, which will expand radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgical oncology services at the divisional level.

Replying to lawmaker Md Quamrul Hassan of Mymensingh-6, the minister said there are currently 14,460 operational community clinics in the country, with plans to build an additional 540 in areas where facilities are lacking, subject to land availability and budget allocation.

In response to lawmaker Khairul Kabir Khokon of Narsingdi-1, the minister said the maternal mortality rate in Bangladesh is estimated at 4,353 per 100,000 live births.

He also said the government does not currently provide any compensation in cases of maternal deaths during childbirth.

Replying to lawmaker Abul Kalam of Cumilla-9, the minister said government hospitals in Dhaka are operating with four to five times more patients than their bed capacity, making cleanliness in hospital toilets a major challenge.

In response to lawmaker Arifa Sultana from a reserved seat, the minister said around 100,000 health workers will be recruited soon under the government’s election manifesto commitments.