By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: The Patients Helping Fund Society (PHFS) had a special booth at an event organized Tuesday at Faisal Sultan bin Essa Radiology Center's park to mark World Cancer Day, through which it explained the fund's role in helping patients fight cancer through aid that is around KD 3.5 million for 500 patients in 2019.

PHFS explained that the aid it provides to patients includes around 3,500 services such as cash aid, medicine, fees, radiology tests and others. PHFS also contributes in boosting all forms of health awareness through lectures, seminars, forums and health exhibitions.

Kuwait Cancer Control Center (KCCC) Director Dr Ali Al-Mousawi explained the work process at KCCC and listed the bodies cooperating with it, namely PHFS. Mousawi also announced using electronic prescription at all KCCC clinics and departments for both Kuwaiti and expat patients, adding that the prescription will soon include chemotherapy medications and those prescribed for patients hospitalized in wards.

Mousawi announced that all labs, OPDs and wards will be liked with the e-filing system by the end of February and that the cyclotron device will be re-operated after being fully developed and updated to become the main center to provide all nuclear medicine needs in Kuwait.

He said all chemotherapy daycare wards had been renovated in less than 14 days and radiotherapy wards had been refurbished in a week. "The surgery department's ICU will be renovated in less than 10 days," he added, noting that all renovations are fully supported by Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah and his undersecretary Dr Mustafa Redha.

Commenting on the activities held to mark World Cancer Day under the slogan of 'I am and I Will,' Mousawi said they call for personal commitment and represent the strength of individual work towards changing the future for better conditions. Responsible for 15 percent of fatalities, cancer is the second-leading cause of death after cardiac diseases worldwide and in Kuwait.