FBI-Standard DNA Labs Planned in Every Division

Dhaka, September 9, Wednesday: FBI-standard DNA laboratories will be established in every divisional city across Bangladesh to enable faster and more accurate forensic testing, said Minister for Women and Children Affairs and Social Welfare Professor Dr. A.Z.M. Zahid Hossain. The laboratories will facilitate regional testing of evidence in complex cases involving murder, rape and the identification of unidentified bodies.

He made the remarks as the chief guest at an event organised at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute in the capital to mark World Cystic Fibrosis Day 2026. Dr. S.M. Ziauddin Haider, special assistant to the prime minister for health with the rank of state minister, attended the event as a special guest.

The minister said internationally benchmarked DNA laboratories following FBI standards would be established in every divisional city. This would allow forensic evidence from complex cases involving murder, rape and unidentified bodies to be examined accurately and much more quickly at the regional level.

He said providing healthcare to anyone who falls ill is a fundamental responsibility of the government. The current government does not believe that anyone’s education or medical treatment should stop because of a lack of money.

The government is working to build an inclusive and humane Bangladesh where healthcare and improved living standards for every citizen receive the highest priority, he said.

The minister said the children’s hospital began its journey under the leadership of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and has gradually expanded its services to become one of the largest children’s hospitals in South Asia.

He thanked the authorities and physicians concerned for introducing modern ‘stem cell therapy’ for the rare disease at the hospital.

He further said Bangladesh has received its highest-ever allocation for the health sector since the birth of the country. He said the BNP did not present a conventional election manifesto; instead, each pledge was formulated through extensive research and by aligning time-sensitive priorities with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Speaking as a special guest, Dr. S.M. Ziauddin Haider referred to the government’s increased health-sector budget and called for greater emphasis on research.

He expressed hope that the institute would play a stronger role in research and professional skills development.

Experts at the event said approximately 200,000 people across 96 countries are currently living with the life-threatening disease cystic fibrosis (CF), but only 59 percent have been diagnosed.

They said the situation was particularly concerning because only 27 percent of patients have access to life-saving modern ETI treatment. A large proportion of undiagnosed patients live in low- and middle-income countries.

Limited diagnostic capacity and restricted access to expensive treatment are exposing affected people in these regions to serious health risks, the experts said.

Specialist physicians, researchers, officials of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, and representatives from different levels of the medical sciences were also present at the event.
//DBTech/RHR/SME/FOEH//