Saudi Cancer Society

Introduction

Cancer is a disease that is shrouded with obscurity and fear. Many people connect the word cancer with loss of hope and the approach of death. Some may even become shattered if they learn that they have the disease. More than 8000 people face this bitter experience annually in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the majority of them do not approach specialized cancer treatment centers in the Kingdom. According to the records of the National Cancer Register, the incidence of cancer in the Kingdom is less than that recorded in European countries. However, indications show that this rate is going to rise considerably for various reasons, such as the increase of the number of senior citizens, in addition to changes in social and environmental conditions and the like. It is expected that the number of cases recorded annually will reach more than 30,000 after 10 to 20 years. This is besides more than 150,000 cured cases that are being following up on a regular basis at specialized centers.

Needless to say, the collaboration of all sectors of society to combat this disease and support its cure has become a necessity. The Saudi Cancer Society is one of these entities devoted to fighting this disease and providing support services to those inflicted with it. The Saudi Cancer Society is a non-profit organization, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Affairs, providing philanthropic services related to cancer patients. It aims to minimizing the spread of the disease and providing help and support to those already inflicted with it. The Society is based in Riyadh and its services reach cancer patients throughout the Kingdom.

The Society's Mission

Minimizing the effects of cancer on the community

Vision

The Society becomes the prime means of support in the fight against cancer and supporting those afflicted with it.

Objectives

Provide support services to cancer patients and their families
Contribute to the support of cancer awareness and prevention
Support and encourage scientific research to identify the causes of cancer in the Kingdom
Support early cancer detection programs
Cooperate with other cancer societies in the Kingdom and help realize their objectives
Support quality assurance programs dealing with cancer diagnosis
Support diagnosis and treatment programs for breast cancer
Support palliative treatment programs for cancer patients
Services Provided by the Society

1 – Social Services

The Society aims to providing a suitable environment for the patient and his next of kin for the purpose of getting treatment without the hassle of finding adequate accommodations or a suitable means of transportation. The Society assists with the transportation of patients to and from airports as well as to the specialized treatment centers. In addition, it helps provide suitable accommodation for the patient and his relatives during treatment, and the also assists with meals and telephone communication services for patients. The social committee also studies the social conditions of patients and provides them with financial support, if possible.

2 – Scientific Research

The Society supports scientific research into the causes of cancer in the community, as well as its diagnosis and cure. It also supports a comprehensive scanning program whi9ch aims to free the society from cancer causing elements. A periodical prize is awarded by the Society to the best specialized research.

3 – Health Awareness Programs

The Society is active in the spread and encouragement of awareness programs about cancer and cancer prevention, in addition to supporting dietary programs that minimize cancer. This is achieved through the publication of books and pamphlets and the utilization of mass media such as the press, radio and television to relate the Society's message to the different sectors of the community. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the Society prepares awareness programs for youth on a Kingdom-wide basis.

4 –Information Center

The Information Center contains a database that helps the members of the community find information about cancer. The database contains information on the causes of cancer, prevention methods, and the various methods of treatment available. The Information Center also furnishes information on the locations of specialized centers dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of cancerous tumors around the Kingdom.

5 – Second Medical Opinion Service

The Society provides a second medical opinion service to cancer patients in order to insure a correct diagnosis, or in order to determine whether the suggested treatment is the best for that particular case from the specialized centers within the Kingdom or from international centers. The Society provides this service by means of modern international communicative medicine.

6 – Technology Transfer

One of the activities of the Saudi Cancer Society is the delivery of the most advanced diagnosis and treatment techniques for cancer in the Kingdom through investigating outstanding cancer centers worldwide and benchmarking what is available in the Kingdom with what is provided outside. The Society sets up priorities for the transfer of these techniques based on a fixed schedule and in collaboration with the concerned government and national entities.

Within the framework of this program, the Society sponsors sending malignant tumor diagnosis and treatment specialists to international centers in order to familiarizing themselves with state of the art techniques and transfer new technologies to the Kingdom. Also, the Society invites prominent specialized scientists to appraise and develop treatment methods in the Kingdom.

7- Cancer Centers Support Program

Due to the increase in the incidence of advanced cancer cases in the Kingdom, the Society places more emphasis on financial support and technical advice for establishment specialized cancer treatment centers in order to increase their capacities.

8 - Program for Fighting the Causes of Cancer

The Society supports programs that fight the causes of cancer, such as smoking, and tobacco and its unhealthy derivatives. Moreover, the Society is launching a huge media campaign to explain the dangers of these substances and their confirmed cancer-causing nature.

9 - Alleviation Treatment Program

The Society has launched alleviation treatment programs throughout the kingdom for the purpose of supporting cancer patients and is collaborating with health sector authorities in providing appropriate services to cancer patients to ease the effects of the disease in its advanced stages.

10 –Psychological Support Program

The Society provides psychological support to patients through specialized psychological support programs conducted by prominent psychologist and religious scholars with long experience in daawa and guidance. In addition to this, the Society also publishes booklets and cassette tapes dealing with these issues.

11 - Assessment of Herbal Treatment Program

The Society undertakes the task of checking herbal medicines used by some cancer patients to insure their freedom from poisonous constituents or health endangering microbes, and to assess their effectiveness in curing the disease

12 - Medical Training Program

The Cancer Society is developing intensive continuing medical training programs for workers in the health sector. These programs aim to spread specialized information regarding the diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors, thereby assisting with the early discovery of the disease and raising the rate of recovery, by Allah's will.

13- Early Diagnosis

More than two-thirds of cancer patients report to specialized centers after the disease has reached an advance stage. This makes treatment difficult if not impossible. This situation has prompted the Society to establish specialized centers for the early diagnosis and discovery of the disease.

14 – Support of Scientific Cancer Statistics

The National Register for Tumors records all cancerous cases in the Kingdom and carries out statistical comparisons on both local and international levels. The Society's role is confined to the support of internal tumor registers in specialized centers, thereby helping to improve scientific statistics regarding cancer and enhance related scientific research.

location: Riyadh city, Makkah street

website: www.saudicancer.com

e-mail: info@saudicancer.com

phone number: +00966(01) 4829028-4829068

Ebrahim A. Alyahya
Head of Public Relations
Saudi Cancer Society
Phone: (01)4829068-Ext: 111
cell phone: 0503202979
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