QCS provides cancer assistance worth QR100mn in past 6-7 years

Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) has provided assistance worth about QR100mn to support cancer patients in the past 6-7 years, the centre's chairman has said.“Every year, we support a large number of cancer patients, especially those who are in need of financial support, medical assistance and other assistance. In the past six to seven years, QCS has supported a large number of such people and provided about QR 100mn,” said Dr Sheikh Khalid bin Jabor al-Thani, founder and chairman, QCS, in an interview with Gulf Times.“In 2021 alone, we provided assistance worth QR21mn.We supported about 1,400 people for various needs,” he said. The chairman noted that the centre has introduced several services in recent years and people can directly contact QCS officials for any assistance. “We launched our app, which is a great help for patients and their families. It is available on Android devices and iPhones, and people can contact us privately. Of late, it has become popular and will mark a major shift in the coming months,” he explained.According to Dr Sheikh Khalid, setting up the training centre was a major shift in the approach to reach out to the people. “More than 404,300 people attended QCS online education programmes during Covid-19 through its online workshops, courses, lectures, webinars, seminars, training sessions as well as one-to-one sessions for people who requested,” he noted.The official said individuals and companies are always ready to support the cause of patients. “For our educational purposes also we approach business houses and get enough support. We have certain constraints for the administration part as we have got about 100 people working with us on a full-time scale. I am blessed with a team that puts in hard work without any reservations and they have all been a part of my team for several years. We work as a family as we work for cancer patients,” the chairman said.“Our board of directors are doing a very good job of supporting the employees. We are working on a sustainable project so that we can run the centre sustainably over the years,” he added.Sheikh Dr Khalid said he had the experience of what some family members had to go through while suffering from diseases, including cancer, which prompted him to take up the cause of fighting cancer. QCS was set up in 1996 with permission and guidance from His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. It was officially launched in October 1997, coinciding with the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.“Today, we are a very prominent institution not only in Qatar but also internationally. We have very good collaborations locally and internationally. We get high accolades and acknowledgement and our first campaign brought a lot of traction with people,” he said. “Thereafter, QCS was adopted into the implementation and adaptation of the national health strategy and mainly in the Qatar cancer strategy. Though we are a non-governmental organisation, we are part of the system. We complement the services of the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation as well as other stakeholders, especially with the growth in the country's population."