He said this while speaking as the chief guest at an event to publish the results of research activities conducted under the revenue budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 at the National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM) in Mohakhali, the capital, on Thursday (July 30).
Chaired by NIPSOM Director Professor Dr. Nasrin Sultana, special guests included Dr. M M Ziauddin Haider, Special Assistant on Health Affairs to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Dr. Md. Zahirul Islam Shakil of Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), Professor Dr. Sayeba Akter, Chairman of Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC), and Professor Dr. Prabhat Chandra Biswas, Director General of the Health Department.
Addressing doctors, Health Minister Sakhawat Hossain said that a doctor's smiling face and empathetic behavior makes a patient half healed. Only a doctor can make a patient healthy. For a sick helpless person, the last resort is a doctor.
He said, treating people is not just about giving tablets or medicine; kind words and proper advice are also great treatment. When a patient lies suffering in bed, they do whatever the doctor says. Doctors must transform themselves into such humane persons that not only medicine but also behavior can heal patients.
Expressing concern over the increase in cancer and kidney patients, he informed that the number of patients affected by kidney disease and cancer has increased alarmingly in the country. Kidney and cancer patients suffer terribly and their suffering knows no bounds.
Highlighting development activities, he said the era of asking for votes by only building bridges or roads is over. We must work on people's essential issues and build the country according to the needs of the people. At the same time, research and awareness activities must be carried out with utmost importance on the health of rural people.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain said, this government has taken an oath to ensure healthcare for all. It is our primary responsibility to deliver healthcare to every person in the country. No citizen will be left outside healthcare.
Referring to the rich history of health research in Bangladesh, Dr. Ziauddin Haider said that the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) exists. Whenever health research is discussed worldwide, Bangladesh stands tall with great pride. The benefits of our extensive research on diarrhea and cholera at the international level exist worldwide today.
Emphasizing gaining field-level experience, he said that before presenting any data, researchers should directly go to upazila hospitals. It is necessary to collect information by discussing with the employees and responsible personnel there, so that the real problems and conflict areas can be identified and resolved. If news of a good experience in one upazila spreads to another upazila, positive improvement will be visible in the overall medical system of the country.
