Bangladesh Medical University held a roundtable and a seminar, marking World Thyroid Day and International Thyroid Awareness Week 2026 to be held on May 25, at the BMU in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The programmes were organised under the initiative of Bangladesh Thyroid Society, said a press release.
BMU vice-chancellor Professor Dr FM Siddiqui was present as chief guest at the seminar, which was presided over by president of Bangladesh Thyroid Society Professor Dr AKM Fazlul Bari.
Professor FM Siddiqui said, ‘The thyroid is a vital organ of the body. Nuclear medicine and allied sciences are making a great contribution in the identification and treatment of thyroid problems and diseases.’
Such an event will not only help all concerned to know about the latest knowledge in the treatment of thyroid diseases, but also increase awareness among the general public of the country, including patients. Public awareness about the thyroid will increase.
Professor AKM Fazlul Bari mentioned that various complications, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, goiter, thyroid cancer could develop around this gland.
‘If the parents have thyroid problems, there is a 70 per cent chance that the child will have them. About 20 per cent of the total population of Bangladesh suffers from various diseases of the thyroid gland. 5 out of every 7 patients are women. 60 per cent of the affected people are not covered by medical services,’ he noted.
In his speech as special guest, BMU pro-VC Professor Dr Md Mujibur Rahman Hawlader said that the public should be informed about thyroid problems and diseases. ‘Programmes should be taken in educational institutions and this issue should be included in primary health care.’
BMU’s clinical oncology department chairman Professor Dr Syed Akram Hossain spoke at as panel expert in the programme.
Former president of Bangladesh Thyroid Society, Professor Dr Fawzia Moslem, former chairman of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission Professor MA Karim also spoke as special guests at the scientific seminar.
Journalists from the Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum participated in the roundtable.
