The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Sharjah / Emirates Business
The administration of Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt in Cairo, the largest dedicated paediatric cancer hospital in the Arab region, praised the support it has received from Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Founder and Royal Patron of the Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP), International Ambassador of the World Cancer Declaration for Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for UICC.
The acknowledgement was made following the activation of the hospital’s new picture archiving and communication system (PACS), which was entirely funded by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi. The healthcare technology enables the short and long-term storage, retrieval, management, distribution and presentation of medical images, such as those generated by x-ray, ultrasound and MRI equipment.
In recognition of her generosity in providing it with significant financial support, Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt – which offers free treatment for children with cancer – opened a new wing named after Her Highness, with the extension inaugurated in May 2015. Pride of place at the wing is a banner displaying the name of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi, featuring her message to children battling cancer, “You are the hero of your story, be brave and remember you will always be in my heart.”
In response to Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt’s lauding of her support, Sheikha Jawaher said that everyone in the world has an ethical and humanitarian responsibility towards cancer patients. Her Highness praised the role of the Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt in leading the Egyptian and Arab community’s support for cancer patients and for
alleviating their suffering.
HH Sheikha Jawaher highlighted the importance of the PACS system in helping the diagnosis and follow-up of cases of children with cancer and making the treatment journey quicker and more accurate. Her Highness noted that a lack of modern diagnostic and treatment devices results in the death of more than 90,000 children from among nearly 175,000 cases of cancer that are diagnosed annually worldwide.
“No amount of money is greater in significance than the smile on the face of a child after their healthy recovery. This is why we at FoCP always put the issue of children with cancer at the top of our priority list. We will spare no effort to give the world’s children a healthier environment where they can enjoy growing up free from the blight of this disease,†said Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi.
“We are forever indebted to Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi for the incredible level of support Her Highness has shown to Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt. Last year we received a donation of 10 million Egyptian pounds from Sheikha Jawaher, an amount that has enabled the hospital to introduce PACS. This system will help develop the competencies of all medical staff in this section, allowing them to explore new methods of diagnosis and healthcare and exchange experiences with their counterparts in Egypt and beyond,” said Dr. Sherif Abou El-Naga, Director of Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt:
“PACS offers numerous benefits and advantages for patients, the medical team and the hospital administration. It provides a quicker service for patients, thus minimising wait time. It also reduces radiation exposure significantly and eliminates the need for repeat examinations because of blurred or missing images,” he added.
Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi founded FoCP in 1999 as a cancer-specific charity dedicated to promoting awareness about the six types of early detectable carcinoma; namely breast, cervical, prostate, skin, colon and rectal cancer.
The drive to highlight these most common forms of the disease comes under the umbrella of the Kashf programme, which was launched by FoCP with the aim of providing free early detection screenings and covering treatment costs for cancer patients.
In May 2015, Sheikha Jawaher launched the International Childhood Cancer Fund in collaboration with UICC to support children with cancer worldwide and to help save the lives of many of the 90,000 children who die of the disease in its various forms each year. Her Highness donated one million dollars through the ‘The Big Heart Foundation’ initiative to be the fund’s first revenue.