Cancer survivor Nazmus Ahmed Albab has built a shelter in Dhaka that now houses 85 patients and their attendants, providing hygienic meals, psychological support and a clean place to rest while they receive treatment at overcrowded public hospitals. The facility, called Alok Nibash, operates at a combined capacity of 170 residents across two buildings in the Bashundhara Residential Area and refuses to turn anyone away even when demand exceeds its beds.
A survivor’s second act
Albab, a former garment entrepreneur, was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2009 and spent two years in treatment in Singapore. He returned to Bangladesh in 2011, recovered but haunted by what he had witnessed. “Before cancer, I too was somewhat driven by the desire for a more comfortable lifestyle. My mind was constantly occupied with business. But cancer showed me what life is really about,” he said.
Determined to understand how underprivileged patients coped, he spent days in public hospitals. He found patients sleeping in corridors amid mosquitoes and flies, with no decent place to rest or access to hygienic food. The experience drove him to leave his business in 2013 and begin raising funds from home to support patients who could not afford treatment.
From financial aid to a physical refuge
In 2015, Albab founded the Bangladesh Cancer Aid Foundation, which later became the Bangladesh Cancer Aid Trust (BANCAT). The organisation initially distributed funds to patients referred by hospitals, growing from one patient in its first month to 30. Yet Albab realised financial aid alone was not enough. Patients who returned to their villages often could not be tracked to ensure they continued treatment, and those who stayed in Dhaka had nowhere clean to stay.
In 2019, BANCAT launched Mosabbir Alok Nibash in a single-storey house in Bashundhara. The name honours Mosabbir, the 14-year-old son of Bir Protik Lieutenant Colonel Modassir Hossain Khan, who died of cancer. Khan later handed over his entire organisation and bank account to BANCAT after following Albab’s work for months.
Meals, hygiene and round-the-clock care
Fundraising for the shelter began in 2020 and services started in 2021 with 24 beds and 12 staff. Today, the two facilities — Alok Nibash and Alok Nibash-2 — offer 85 beds for patients and space for an equal number of attendants. The organisation employs 47 people, including nine nurses and caregivers, six kitchen staff, four drivers, four cleaners, four ward attendants and a supervisor, working rotating eight-hour shifts to provide round-the-clock assistance.
The kitchens prepare around 600 meals daily for approximately 200 people at each sitting. A nutritionist visits twice a week to design personalised meal plans based on patients’ prescriptions and cancer types. A psychologist also visits twice weekly to counsel patients and their attendants. Residents can cook for themselves if they wish.
Strict hygiene protocols are enforced. When patients return from hospital visits — typically between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. — they are disinfected, sent for a bath and then served food. Attendants are encouraged to help with small cleaning tasks to build awareness about cleanliness. “This is one reason we can keep the facility so clean,” said Syed Nasiruddin Tarek, BANCAT’s Human Resources manager.
Doctors now refer patients directly
Most patients learn about Alok Nibash from their doctors, who now refer them directly and provide the address. Others hear about it from fellow patients or find it through a Google search. The number of patients occasionally exceeds the 85-bed capacity. “We try not to turn anyone away. Even when we have more patients than our capacity allows, we usually manage to make arrangements. That’s because new patients are admitted every day, while others leave after completing their treatment,” Tarek said.
Conflicts sometimes arise among residents, but staff work to resolve them through mutual understanding. “We consider their psychological and social circumstances. Despite occasional conflicts, they share a remarkable bond as fellow fighters on the same journey,” he said.
No charge to patients, sustained by donors
Patients are not charged for accommodation or meals. Albab said the shelter does not provide services for free; rather, it does not charge the patients. More than 200 donors contribute to cover employee salaries and operating expenses.
Parvin Akhtar, diagnosed with stage-four ovarian cancer three years ago, has stayed at Alok Nibash for the past year. Her daughter, Saira Banu, said her mother is much happier and her condition has improved considerably. “The place is clean, everyone is caring, and we feel at home. We could never have found this level of comfort and peace at a relative’s house in Dhaka. Best of all, we can stay as long as necessary,” she said.
Expanding the model beyond Dhaka
BANCAT is now developing Alok Bosti, a cancer village model in Manikganj on a five-bigha plot purchased with Khan’s donation. The project will include a 120-bed residential facility and a clinic, aiming to bring healthcare services closer to patients living outside the capital and reduce their dependence on Dhaka for treatment. “I want this to become a model that inspires every district in Bangladesh to establish at least one Alok Bosti of its own,” Albab said.
The trust also runs Alok Kantha, where patients create handmade products such as prayer mats, quilts and diaries from discarded fabric during leisure time. The initiative provides remuneration and sells products in limited quantities at Unimart. BANCAT has also begun modest rehabilitation efforts to help financially devastated survivors rebuild their livelihoods.
Albab said he never allowed personal struggles to end his work. “I cried a lot for seven years. I reflected on life and came to understand myself. I had a roof over my head and food on the table. Even if there was no pulao or korma, I never went hungry. And above all, I had faith in myself and in Allah,” he said. “My children were still studying when I took this initiative. If I could do this in middle age, why can’t young people? With courage, self-confidence and sound judgement, you can accomplish something meaningful.”
Patients should talk to their doctor about local support services that may be available during treatment.
Sources
Photo: Refat Ul Islam / Unsplash (Unsplash License)
