Women and Children Affairs, and Social Welfare Minister Dr AZM Zahid Hossain on Monday said no one will be deprived of treatment due to a lack of money in “humane Bangladesh” being built under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
He made the remarks while addressing as the chief guest a programme organised at the National Institute of ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) in Tejgaon, marking World Head and Neck Cancer Day 2026 observed with the theme “Speak Up, Detect Early, Save Lives.”
The minister said the government is committed to overall development, not just the health sector, and that all the commitments made by BNP in its election manifesto will be implemented gradually.
He urged journalists to raise public awareness that people with hearing and speech impairment living in society can also recover, calling on the media to help spread this message among the people.
During the programme, Zahid inaugurated a newly built Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT) Centre at the hospital.
Children who have lost their hearing ability, either congenitally or later in life, and for whom no other means of restoring speech is possible, undergo costly cochlear implantation surgery with support from the Ministry of Social Welfare.
They are subsequently taught to speak normally through therapy at the AVT Centre, which operates under the Ministry of Health.
The minister also expressed plans to expand the AVT Centre to the divisional level.
At the end of the programme, Zahid distributed donation cheques and devices among patients suffering from various head and neck-related diseases.