We Aim to Reduce Deaths from Disease in Qatar to 25 Percent by 2025

MoPH Qatar

A number of doctors specialized in cancer diseases in Qatar said that there are many misconceptions that must be corrected the society about cancer through raising societal awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection and getting rid of negative thoughts that have become an abhorrent phenomenon due to linking this disease to death despite there being many patients who have fully recovered after undergoing the customized treatment protocol, along with other patients who have lived with the disease for many years.

Head of the non-communicable diseases department at the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Kholoud Al Mutawa said that there is awareness of the importance of treatment and heading to health institutions at the general level, while, on the other hand, there is a great fear by many groups in society from cancer and its complications. She pointed out that the Ministry of Public Health seeks to raise awareness, correct misconceptions among some and emphasize the importance of early detection in order to prevent disease, so that the medical team can treat cancer in its early stages.

In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Dr. Kholoud said that the National Public Health Strategy aims to reduce death rates from complications of cancer to 25 percent by 2025.

She noted that the Ministry of Public Health seeks to raise awareness in the community and correct misconceptions through awareness workshops that come within the national campaign activities to correct misconceptions about cancer. She stressed the need to educate community members about the importance of early detection and heading to the various health services provided in all health institutions for early examination and taking the necessary treatment plan.

For his part, the Director of the National Cancer Registry at the Ministry of Public Health, Amid Abu Humaidan told QNA that linking cancer with death is the biggest misconception in society, stressing the importance of raising awareness in society and that this disease becomes chronic like diabetes and pressure, especially since there are many patients who have lived with cancer for many years, in addition to cases that have fully recovered.

The healing factor for cancer lies in early detection and periodic examination; if the patient reaches advanced stages of the disease, treatment becomes difficult. The treatment protocols for cancer that are available in Qatar are comparable to those found in developed countries abroad, in terms of the available capabilities, the available medicines and the scientific techniques used, in addition to the high-level competencies of qualified doctors, Abu Humaidan said.

He added that the family doctors of the Primary Health Care Corporation undergo a program to educate them and draw their attention to the early signs of cancer until it is detected during the early stages in order to achieve high rates of cure.

The Ministry of Public Health held a workshop for the media as part of the national campaign program, in cooperation with Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care and Qatar Cancer Society to correct concepts about cancer by raising community awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection, as well as shedding light on how to deal with the disease.

(QNA)