DHAKA, Bangladesh — Although very small in number, Catholics in Bangladesh are making an invaluable contribution to the care of tuberculosis patients in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
"Bangladesh is an underdeveloped country and due to financial reasons, many people in this country do not go to the doctor at the primary stage of any health issue, only when the problem becomes big — and this is the case with tuberculosis patients," said Italian Sister Roberta Pignone, 55, a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate, popularly known as the PIME sisters.
Sister Roberta has been serving tuberculosis (TB) patients at the Damien Hospital in the Khulna Diocese, in the coastal area of Bangladesh, for about 25 years. People in the coastal area constantly struggle with natural disasters and salinity to survive, and they often avoid seeking care for minor illnesses.
"On behalf of the hospital, we distribute awareness leaflets in various public places, and if someone has symptoms of TB, we bring their samples and test them. It is seen that about 90% have tuberculosis and they are not aware," Sister Roberta told EWTN News.
In this hospital, patients are provided with free accommodation and food, and if someone can afford it, they pay some expenses to the hospital.
Social stigma and late diagnosis
Sister Roberta said that although the Bangladesh government maintains there are not a lot of tuberculosis patients in the country, many cases still go undetected. She also noted that many doctors fail to recognize tuberculosis symptoms in patients because the disease is not given priority by the government.
Sister Roberta's friends and relatives from her home country, Italy, and from other countries provide financial support for the hospital's operations.
"I have not had any financial problems yet; I am continuing God's work in some way or another. As long as my community keeps me here, I will work happily," Sister Roberta added.
The Maria Bambina Sisters of Rajshahi Diocese run the Tuberculosis Shelter, which was established by the PIME Missionary Fathers in 1989. Initially, the shelter was run with funding from the PIME Fathers, but now it is operated entirely by the sisters.
Sister Augustina Tudu, 70, has been serving tuberculosis patients at this shelter for about 22 years. Initially, various groups of sisters and fathers would go to villages and bring tuberculosis patients for treatment, but now the patients themselves come for treatment with the help of parish priests and sisters.
Medicine, food, and shelter
In Bangladesh, tuberculosis and leprosy are still not given importance in the early stages. In many cases, these diseases, which are viewed differently by society, are not disclosed, Sister Augustina said.
"We used to provide free accommodation and food to tuberculosis patients, but now we are not able to do that anymore due to the economic crisis," Sister Augustina told EWTN News. "After the PIME Fathers left this hospital, we are going through a lot of financial crises; in that case, we have to take some money from the patients."
The TB shelter not only provides medicines but also nutritious food to the patients, "because TB is a disease that requires not only medicines but also nutritious food, and these patients are poor and they cannot eat that kind of food at home," Sister Augustina added.
Most of the Christian patients from the northern dioceses of Rajshahi and Dinajpur come to this TB shelter for treatment. Of the nearly 150,000 Catholics in these two dioceses, most are from the Indigenous community and are financially poor.
"The Indigenous are naturally in financial crisis and lead an ignorant life, as a result of which TB or tuberculosis is more common among them. We are doing what we can, but due to the financial crisis, we are not able to help them completely," Sister Augustina said.
According to the National TB Control Programme of the Bangladesh Health Department, 278,607 tuberculosis patients were identified in the country from January to October 2025.
The country's goal is to eliminate tuberculosis by 2035. Its data indicates that deaths from tuberculosis have been reduced by 90% since 2015.
After the World Health Organization declared tuberculosis a global emergency in 1993, the health department has been working with nongovernmental organizations to control the disease. Tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment, and medicines are all provided free of charge. Still, the tuberculosis situation in the country has not improved.
