DT e-Paper 15 March 2017

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017
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‘Our motto is accurate diagnosis without
unnecessary testing’
In an exclusive interview with Abu Siddique of the Dhaka Tribune Dr Zaheed Husain talks about
cancer treatment in Bangladesh and how he plans to provide cancer-related healthcare facilities to
Bangladeshis through Praava
Dr Zaheed Husain is a cancer immunologist
who heads the Laboratory
of Immunobiology and teaches
medicine at the Division of Interdisciplinary
Medicine and Biotechnology
in Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Centre, one of the teaching
affiliates of Harvard Medical School.
He is also the senior director of cancer
diagnostics at Praava Health,
the first molecular cancer diagnostics
lab in Bangladesh, which will be
launched in Dhaka soon.
Explain the name Praava.
The word Praava is a combination
of the words “Pran,” which means
life, and “Ava,” which means light.
Praava means excellence of life.
What kind of healthcare service
will Praava provide?
We want to give hope to patients
and ensure proper diagnosis of diseases
so that patients get appropriate
treatment.
Our primary goal is to bring back
the concept of “family doctor” – the
doctor who knows you and your
family, and can help you manage
your day-to-day health needs, and
referring you to other specialists or
hospitals when required. They will
also follow up on your progress.
We will also focus on the creative
use of IT in healthcare, starting
with Bangladesh’s first patient portal
which will give patients access
to their medical records and make
appointments online or from their
phones.
However, Praava will not provide
hospital service.
What sets Praava apart from other
diagnostic centres in Bangladesh?
We want to create a hub of medical
services. We will have a large pool
of doctors specialised in different
disciplines. And we will have facilities
for all medical tests so patients
can get quick and accurate services.
Our motto is accurate diagnosis
without unnecessary testing.
We also want to introduce cancer-related
tests which are not
available in Bangladesh yet.
Tell us about the cancer diagnostics
lab.
Praava Health’s molecular cancer
diagnostics lab will be the first
molecular cancer diagnostics lab in
the country with a state-of-the-art
facility for cancer screening and
diagnosis.
Initially, we will offer KRAS mutation
detection for treatment of
colorectal cancer, HER2/neu gene
amplification to diagnose breast
cancer, and HPV DNA genotyping
to detect cervical cancer.
In future, we plan to roll out other
molecular diagnostic test panels
including BRAF, CTNNB1, EGFR,
FOXL2, GNAS, PIK3CA, TP53, as
well as blood-based testing – or
liquid biopsy – and quantitation of
circulating tumour cells over time.
There are other technologies
that Praava will bring to Bangladesh
as well.
What is molecular cancer diagnosis?
Immunotherapy and molecular
cancer diagnostics are leading the
way in cancer treatment. Using genetic
markers in our DNA, molecular
cancer diagnostics can help us
learn whether an individual has a
predisposition to a particular type
of cancer, which can facilitate prevention
or early detection. It has
the best prospects for survival.
Also, molecular cancer diagnostics
can help us understand the
best treatment options for a patient
who has already been diagnosed
with cancer. It has been effective in
reducing cancer mortality based on
early detection as well as identification
of effective treatments. For
the first time ever, there is hope for
patients who are in despair.
How big an issue is cancer in
Bangladesh?
Cancer is the sixth leading cause of
death in Bangladesh, and here the
cancer-related death rate is expected
to be 13% by 2030, increasing
from 7.5% in 2005. There are an
estimated 1.5 million cancer patients
in Bangladesh, with around
200,000 patients newly diagnosed
every year. •
Norwegian ambassador honours groundbreaking women
• Afrose Jahan Chaity
The Royal Norwegian Embassy
hosted an event celebrating Women’s
Day on Monday night at Ambassador
Sidsel Bleken’s residence.
The ambassador along with the
Swedish Ambassador Johan Frisell
and the Head of Cooperation of the
Danish International Development
Agency (Danida) Peter Bogh Jensen
hosted the event honouring Bangladeshi
women from all walks of
life who are breaking the gender
barrier.
Norwegian Ambassador Sidsel
Bleken spoke on the need for women’s
emancipation in all spheres
of life, saying: “Women empowerment
is important not only on an
individual level, it is equally important
for society. Women’s participation
in politics as well as in
Dr Zaheed Husain
the formal economy is crucial for a
country’s development.”
Speaking on violence against
women, gender inequality and
discrimination Sidsel Bleken
said:“It happens everywhere – it’s a
violation of women’s fundamental
rights. It is both a cause and a
consequence of inequalities
between women and men. We
really need to do better to deal with
this.”
The women who were
honoured at the event have shown
remarkable strength in overcoming
challenges posed by society to
empower themselves.
Women such as Sandha Rani
Mistri, a low-caste Hindu woman,
has been an elected local Union
Parishad Member from Banaripara
Upazila of Barisal thrice said she
had to overcome the barriers posed
PHOTO: MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
Norwegian Ambassador Sidsel Bleken sits along with Swedish Ambassador Johan
Frisell and Rokia Afzal Rahman listening to the stories narrated by the women
honoured at the Women’s Day event held at her residence
RAJIB DHAR
by society after she became a teenaged
widow to be where is she in
life now.
A domestic violence survivor,
Rubina Ahmed began her journey
with buying a sewing machine
to make dolls. After divorcing
her abusive husband, she is now
financially independent having
turned her doll making into a
business.
In an attempt to highlight sexual
harassment on campus, twenty
year old Sumaya Rahman from the
faculty of law, Rajshahi University
became an activist using the
theatre to highlight the issue both
on and off campus.
President of Bangladesh Federation
of Women Entrepreneurs
(BFWE) Rokia Afzal Rahman was
the chief guest at the event and
spoke on how she became successful
in her professional life emphasising
that entrepreneurship is
the key to helping women achieve
equal rights in society. •
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower,
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