Most patients in Bangladesh are middle or lower-middle class, and the cost of neurosurgical care is a real barrier for them. In this video Prof. Dr. A. F. M. Momtazul Haque — neurosurgeon and neuro-spinal surgeon, Professor and Head of Neurosurgery at Dhaka Medical College & Hospital — explains why patients no longer need to go abroad.
What successful neurosurgery needs
Brain and spine surgery are sophisticated operations. Success depends on:
- A skilled and experienced neurosurgeon
- A modern operating microscope
- For spine surgery, a C-arm (an X-ray machine used during the operation)
- A well-equipped neuro operating room
Neurosurgeons and neuro-spinal surgeons working in Dhaka have now ensured all of these, and their post-operative results are comparable with the developed world.
Cost: an example
For a simple PLID (lumbar disc prolapse) operation, the video gives these approximate figures: about USD 100,000 (close to Tk 1 crore) in Singapore, Tk 15–20 lakh in Thailand, Tk 6–7 lakh at a good centre in India — and about Tk 1.20–1.25 lakh for a standard microscopic surgery in Dhaka. Some private centres charge a little more, but the aim is to keep it within reach of the middle class.
Operations performed at an affordable cost
- Microscopic brain tumor surgery and endoscopic pituitary surgery
- Aneurysm surgery and surgery for trigeminal neuralgia
- Spinal fixation surgery
- Cervical discectomy and anterior cervical discectomy & fusion (ACDF)
- Neck and spinal tumors, and spinal / neck tuberculosis (TB)
The doctor’s message to patients: everything needed for a safe operation is now available here at an affordable cost, so you can place your trust in your own country’s neurosurgeons.
This article is for general awareness only; it is not a substitute for direct medical advice.
