A national workshop held on the occasion of Syria’s accession to the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer

With the aim of strengthening the health sector’s efforts to address childhood cancer, the Ministry of Health held the “National Workshop on the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer” after Syria was included in this initiative.

The workshop, which was held at the Dama Rose Hotel in cooperation with the Basma Association for the Care of Children with Cancer and the World Health Organization, included an explanation of this global initiative, which aims to increase awareness at the national and global levels in dealing with this disease, and expands the ability of countries to provide the best health practices related to it with identifying the difficulties and achievements realized.

The workshop also aims to introduce national policy makers and multidisciplinary service providers in pediatric cancer care to the “CURLE” technical package, in addition to evaluating recent achievements in the care of this disease, and involving people who live the experience of cancer in plans and activities related to it.

It also sought to form  a national committee that includes stakeholders. stakeholders, assess the current situation, identify gaps related to childhood cancer care, and define the roles and responsibilities of participants and institutions, which also determine the time frame for implementation and relevant resources.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Hassan Al-Ghabbash, confirmed in his speech during the opening of the workshop that Syria’s accession to the global initiative to combat childhood cancer, which aims to alleviate the pain and suffering of children with cancer in various countries of the world and achieve a cure rate of no less than 60 percent by the year 2030 as the result of a cooperative effort in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Dr. Al-Ghabbash  pointed out that by including Syria in the initiative, the Ministry is working to benefit from technical assistance, capacity building, and access to the basic resources necessary to improve diagnosis, treatment, and care for injured children, and to establish a national committee to help achieve the goals of the initiative.

The acting representative of the WHO in Syria, Dr. Iman Al-Shanqeeti, said  that childhood cancer care in Syria faces many challenges, including limited access to diagnostic and therapeutic services, and insufficient infrastructure and training for health care providers, pointing out that the organization is working to support Syria by providing some specialized medicines and devices and supporting infrastructure.

Head of the Middle East Program of the St. Jude Global Alliance, Dr. Sima Jeha, said  that the hospital contributes to spreading cancer awareness and helping patients overcome their disease, in addition to its programs that depend on raising the level of medical services through training medical personnel and building capabilities.

The workshop was attended by the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Bassam Ibrahim, the Minister of Education, Dr. Muhammad Amer Al-Mardini, and a number of managers and stakeholders working in the health field, and multidisciplinary service providers in childhood cancer care.

Rawaa Ghanam