GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday commended Kuwait’s donation for cancer patients in Syria, which gave a silver lining to patients at a time when public health services were disrupted in Syria. In a statement, the organization expressed its gratitude to Kuwait for its contribution of $1 million for cancer care in Syria, which immediately influenced health situations of vulnerable families in Syria.
Kuwait’s Permanent Representative to the UN and International Organizations Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghunaim said that Kuwait is proactive in funding programs of WHO to vaccinate Syrian children against polio, as well as programs in Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and others for health care. Ghunaim said that the upcoming visit of WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus will open new horizons for cooperation between Kuwait and international organizations of health care.
WHO assessment of cancer care services in eight hospitals in various Syrian governorates in 2016 revealed a sharp decrease of equipment, staff and cancer care. With Kuwait’s donation, WHO has obtained cancer medications and supplies distributed to Syria’s main hospitals. “WHO has worked with the oncology units in Syria’s public referral hospitals to develop a list of high-value, specific cancer medicines,” WHO Representative in Syria Elizabeth Hoff said.
“Through this carefully tailored approach and close collaboration with hospital staff, WHO has been able to procure enough medicines to cover 40,000 treatment courses and help fill critical gaps in cancer care,” she explained. – KUNA
