Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain said medicines alone cannot protect a nation from disease and urged greater focus on prevention alongside treatment. He made the remarks on Thursday at the National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine in Mohakhali, Dhaka, during an event releasing results of research activities funded under the 2025-26 revenue budget. He called for innovative preventive measures beginning from birth.

Addressing doctors, the minister said a physician’s smile and compassionate conduct can help patients recover, adding that care involves more than tablets or medicines. He said kind words and appropriate advice are also important for patients. He expressed concern over what he described as a sharp increase in kidney and cancer patients in the country and noted the severe suffering faced by people with those illnesses.

The minister said the government has pledged to ensure healthcare for all and that no citizen should remain outside health services. He urged research and awareness work focused on rural health. Prime Minister’s health affairs special assistant Dr. M. M. Ziauddin Haider advised researchers to visit upazila hospitals and consult staff before presenting data, so actual problems and areas of conflict can be identified and addressed.