Cancer Top Cause of Death of Emiratis

By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter

More Emiratis died of cancer in Dubai last year than any other leading cause of death, including heart disease and traffic accidents, the common causes of death in the UAE.

According to the annual health statistical report on the emirate, issued recently by the Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohmhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifs), cancer killed 17.1 per cent of Emiratis admitted to hospitals in Dubai, followed closely by heart disease at 16.6 per cent. A total of 199 Emiratis died in Dubai hospitals last year.

However, heart disease becomes the leading killer once expatriate cases are factored in at 17.8 per cent, followed closely by cancer at 17 per cent. A total of 731 deaths were recorded in Dubai last year.

A total of 7,481 people were treated for cancer at Dubai Hospital, which has the only oncology department in Dubai.

While admitting that cancer cases were on the rise, Dr Fareed Khalifa, head of oncology at Dohms, also said the numbers did not present an accurate picture of the cancer situation in Dubai.

"The numbers are high because Dubai Hospital [other than Tawam Hospital in Al Ain] is the only hospital that cancer cases are referred to [from all over the UAE]," he told Gulf News.

"Other hospitals, public or privat! e, don't treat cancer but they do treat heart disease and others," he added.

Shortage
He said what the statistics have done instead was to underscore the shortage of cancer centres and treatment options for patients, and highlighted the need to build more cancer centres and facilities to treat cancer.

Dubai and Tawam hospitals are having trouble meeting current demands, suffering from bed shortages and long waiting lists - forcing many patients to seek treatment overseas.

A cancer centre, under the Ministry of Health, is under construction in Ras ! Al Khaimah, but is only expected to be complete by 2009.