The Ministry of Public Health has taken the necessary measures to curb and combat cancer, in conjunction with the celebration of the World Cancer Day, which is marked around the world on 4 February every year, reflecting the commitment of societies and individuals throughout the world to fight the disease and demonstrate the commitment to take positive steps to combat it.

Director of the Public Health Department of the Ministry of Public Health Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani said, at a press conference today, that cancer is a an important health and humanitarian issue and it is one of the diseases that their impact extends beyond the body to include the psychological, mental and emotional aspect not only on the patient but also on his family and all those around him.

Cancer claims the lives of 9.6 million people annually and this number is expected to nearly double by 2030, making it the second leading cause of death globally.

The Director of the Public Health Department pointed out that at the level of the State of Qatar, the data of the National Cancer Registry showed that 1566 new cancer cases were diagnosed during 2016, of which 21% were Qataris; 42% females and 58% males, while breast cancer is the most common with an average of 17% of all cases, followed by colourectal cancer with a rate of approximately 10%, he said.

He explained that the crude incidence was found to be 59.8 per 100,000 of the population, and that breast cancer is the most common among Qataris, with a rate of 20.66% of all cases, followed by colourectal cancer with 12% of all cancer cases among Qataris.

With regard to the survival rates of Qatari patients, the percentage reached 89% for breast cancer, 69% for colourectal cancer and 67% for leukemia, and 90% for thyroid cancer, he added.

He pointed out that during the year 2016, there were 165 cancer deaths among Qataris, where the standard rate was 126 cases per 100,000 people, as lung cancer was the primary cause of cancer-related deaths at a rate of 14% of all cancer deaths among Qataris, followed by liver cancer by 11%, then colourectal cancer, by 8.5%.

Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani said that cancer is one of the diseases that constitutes a global burden on the health budget in many countries, including the State of Qatar. Addressing such diseases has been a priority for health officials in the country, as they are in line with the provisions of the cancer control strategy and the national health strategy, he said, pointing out that he Ministry has provided health awareness services that are progressing rapidly in many regions of the country, and has also provided early detection services and free integrated treatment for citizens and residents.

He said that the Ministry of Public Health, in cooperation with its partners in the fight against cancer, has established an annual calendar to raise awareness about different types of cancers, and has implemented monthly awareness programs targeting one type of cancer, during which coordination is made between all partners and contribute to unifying the activities implemented at the state level, while this calendar is updated annually according to statistical information on the disease situation in the country as well as in line with global variables.

He added that the non-communicable disease control team is making a great effort in this field, as it is concerned with prevention, health promotion and community education to address this problem, adding the programs aim to reach the largest target groups of the public and they include awareness campaigns in government institutions and educational establishments and other, as well as various workshops aimed at training cadres on how to prevent and deal with the disease in addition to community surveys that aim to investigate and monitor the disease and risk factors.



Related Story