KUWAIT: Cancer is one of the world’s leading health, social and psychological challenges, requiring unified efforts and stronger collaboration to combat it, said Health Minister Dr Ahmad Al-Awadhi on Monday.
Speaking at the Regional Oncology Conference and the 13th Conference of the Gulf Union for Controlling Cancer, Minister Al-Awadhi said that recent years have witnessed rapid scientific progress, as evidenced by the organization of numerous conferences specializing in oncology, particularly in the Gulf region. This reflects the continuous scientific and technical development in the fields of cancer diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
“The conference is a leading regional platform that brings together a group of distinguished experts and provides a valuable opportunity to exchange knowledge and learn about the latest developments in the diagnosis and treatment of oncology, in addition to highlighting the efforts made in the fields of prevention and early detection,” he said.
Minister Al-Awadhi pointed out the pivotal role played by Gulf associations working in the field of cancer control in supporting prevention and early detection programs. The Gulf Union for Cancer Control, he said, is at the forefront of leading entities in developing national strategies and evaluating their impact. He added that scientific conferences represent an important opportunity to promote joint research among GCC countries, which share similar genetic and environmental characteristics, and to encourage innovation and the use of modern technologies.
Dr Khalid Al-Saleh
These forums also empower patients, survivors and those living with cancer and involve them effectively in the treatment process and decision-making. This conference particularly highlights the advanced health infrastructure in the Gulf countries, which includes specialized medical expertise and provides medication, palliative care and psychological support.
Dr Khalid Al-Saleh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Cancer Awareness Campaign (CAN) and head of the conference organizing committee, said the cooperation between the Kuwait Society for Smoking and Cancer Control and the Gulf Union for Cancer Control marks an important step in the union’s journey. The Gulf Union recently gained observer status at the World Health Organization, following nearly 24 years of joint work. That effort, he said, has played a key role in raising community health awareness and promoting a culture of prevention and early detection. Al-Saleh said the Gulf cancer registry showed more than 310,000 cases diagnosed between 1998 and 2020, with an annual increase of approximately 4.4 percent.
The Gulf Union has adopted a number of training programs aimed at primary health care physicians and dentists, in addition to programs that promote screening and early detection. He pointed to the success of CAN in training approximately 182,000 female students in breast cancer self-examination since its launch in 2010, in addition to implementing the Joint Gulf Cancer Awareness Week and publishing the Gulf Oncology Journal, which is internationally classified in global medical databases. He emphasized that the conference is an important platform for enhancing research cooperation between countries in the region, expressing his hope that its work will result in practical and implementable recommendations.
