Doha: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has launched a new project to provide costly chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormonal drugs for patients with cancer at oncology centers in northern Syria for five months, as part of its humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of patients with cancer in Syria.
According to Qatar News Agency, QRCS stated that there is a significant gap in specialized health care services in northern Syria, exacerbated by the prolonged conflict and unaffordable prices of cancer drugs. The project aims to help reduce mortality rates and health complications among cancer patients and ease the burden on local health care facilities by minimizing the need to refer patients for treatment abroad.
The initiative includes the supply and distribution of essential cancer treatment drugs, expected to directly benefit 112 cancer patients over the five-month period, in addition to 560 indirect beneficiaries from the families of patients and the local community. The drugs, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy, will be supplied, distributed, and examined for quality in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the health directorates in Idlib and Aleppo.
In this context, Assistant Secretary-General for Relief and International Development at QRCS, Mohamed Bader Al Sada, highlighted the need for more support to address the gap and provide early detection and treatment services for cancer. Al Sada revealed preparations for a new project to provide chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs for 400 displaced and poor cancer patients at oncology centers in Syria.
"A donation of just QR 10,000 can save the life of a patient, after years of suffering and pain from cancer," he emphasized. This intervention builds on a previous project, implemented by QRCS in 2024, which provided drugs and medical supplies for more than 900 cancer patients. It also supported cancer treatment centers with medical equipment and training for health care personnel.