Dhaka, Aug. 8 -- A prolonged shortage of radioactive iodine -- a critical post-surgical treatment for thyroid cancer -- has left patients across Bangladesh in limbo, with many facing delays of over six months amid growing uncertainty and distress.

The import of the life-saving medicine has remained suspended due to administrative delays, reportedly stemming from the Ministry of Science and Technology's failure to prioritise the issue.

Monirul Huq, a private sector employee from Gazipur, underwent thyroid cancer surgery last December at Anwar Khan Modern Hospital in the capital. However, he is still awaiting the essential iodine therapy.

Nur Nahar Begum, wife of another thyroid cancer patient, said they received appointments for radioac...