The lottery tickets will be available from today.

The objective of this lottery programme is to involve common people in providing health care service, said DAB Secretary General Prof AK Azad Khan at a press conference in the city yesterday.

At present, about 50 lakh people are suffering from diabetes in the country, he said.

The lottery offers a total of 746 prizes worth Tk 40 lakh. The first prize carries Tk 25 lakh, the second prize Tk 5 lakh and the third prize Tk 1 lakh.

The money collected through lottery will be used in expanding the diabetic hospital, said Prof Azad.

There are also plans to set up nine more diabetic hospitals in different areas of the capital in one year, he added.

Md Sayef Uddin, joint secretary of DAB, Dr Wajedul Islam Khan, coordinator, countrywide affiliated centres of DAB, and Farid Kabir, deputy director of DAB, were also present at the press conference.