The government has decided to give a one-off grant of Tk 1 lakh each to poor patients suffering from seven complex and long-term illnesses, including cancer and kidney disease, to help them pay for treatment. A total of 65,000 patients will receive the support in the 2026-27 financial year under the programme run by the Department of Social Services.
The programme, run under the Ministry of Social Welfare, aims to widen access to treatment for poor and low-income patients and to ease the financial pressure on their families. To expand its reach this year, the total allocation has been set at Tk 650 crore.
The seven illnesses covered by the programme are: 1. cancer 2. kidney disease 3. liver cirrhosis 4. paralysis 5. heart disease 6. leukaemia 7. thalassaemia.
Each patient finally selected will receive a one-off Tk 1 lakh for treatment. Under the rules, a person can receive the grant once in a financial year and no more than three times in a lifetime.
According to the Department of Social Services, the programme’s allocation in the 2013-14 financial year was only Tk 2 crore 82 lakh 50 thousand, which helped 561 patients. It has grown in stages since. Allocations were Tk 300 crore in each of the 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years, and for 2026-27 the figure has jumped to Tk 650 crore.
Applicants must be permanent residents of Bangladesh. Poor and low-income people will be given the highest priority in selecting patients. Those who need urgent treatment, whose lives are at risk, and people with disabilities, children, women and older people will also be given priority.
However, the committee concerned may reject an application if the applicant submits false information or a forged certificate, or has previously received other government money for the same purpose.
Documents needed to apply
Copies of the following documents are needed when applying online:
- The patient’s national identity card (NID) or, for a child, the birth certificate
- The national identity card of the applicant, guardian or representative, and one passport-size photograph
- Details of the chosen nominee and the bank account details of the patient or guardian (a photocopy of the cheque book’s cover page)
- The doctor’s latest prescription and the pathology reports needed to diagnose the illness (for cancer patients, a tissue diagnostic, biopsy or bone marrow report)
How to apply
The patient, or a family member, guardian or legal representative, can apply online through the Department of Social Services’ designated portal. The authorities will check the information and documents received and then select the final beneficiaries.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report