The Cancer Control Fund of Yemen has on Wednesday organised a ceremonial event to mark World Cancer Day.
At the event, member of the Supreme Political Council, Sultan al-Samei, referred to the importance of celebrating World Cancer Day in order to raise awareness of the dangers of cancer and ways to prevent it.
Al-Samei pointed out that cancer patients in Yemen suffer even more today, as a result of the continued aggression and siege, the closure of Sana’a International Airport and the prevention of entry of their medicines.”
For his part, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Najeeb al-Qubati, considered the World Cancer Day an opportunity to remind that a large segment of society suffers from a disease that threatens their lives every day.
Dr. al-Qubati indicated that the number of cancer patients has reached 71,000 during the years of the aggression, often as a result of the Saudi-led coalition’s use of internationally prohibited weapons.
He mentioned that there are 9,000 cases of cancer added annually, 15 percent of them among children. At least 12,000 deaths in Yemen are caused by cancer annually.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cancer Fund, Dr. Abdulsalam al-Madani said he considered World Cancer Day an “opportunity to introduce the scale of the problem and the reality of the situation that calls for spreading community awareness and mobilising government support to alleviate the scale of suffering.”
He indicated that the number of cases registered at the National Oncology Center in Sanaa is more than 60,000.
The last five years have witnessed a remarkable increase in the rate of disease infection, and cancerous types that were previously not or barely present in Yemen have spread as a result of the use of forbidden weapons in the conflict.
