Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) does not have sufficient equipment and capacity to handle the 12,000 cancer cases it receives every year even if it were to increase its current capacity three times, senior hospital officials told Al-Watan daily. This problem will remain unsolved as long as the hospital receives this huge number of cases on an annual basis, which is more than it can handle, officials said. In order to find a drastic solution to this issue, the health sector should receive more financial support similar to the one many advanced countries receive. KFSHRC general supervisor Dr. Qasim Al-Qasabi said the hospital will never be able to treat these cases even after its capacity has been increased three-fold. In his opinion, the Ministry of Health should increase other hospitals' capacity to deal with cancer cases. He suggested that National Guard hospitals and university hospitals should also receive and treat cancer cases to reduce pressure on the hospital. A group of senior personnel at the hospital also told Al-Watan that more specialist hospitals should be built all over the Kingdom to reduce the pressure on KFSHRC. The Shoura Council has reviewed the annual report issued by the hospital and the recommendations that the ministry should sign agreements with private hospitals and send chronic cases to them. This will help reduce pressure on the hospital and ensure that patients with chronic conditions can receive treatment on time without having to wait for long periods. Al-Ahsa residents meanwhile have reiterated their calls to set up an oncology center in the governorate. Recent statistics indicate that there are 1,090 patients with cancer, 256 of whom women with breast cancer, in Al-Ahsa region. This figure makes the governorate the highest in the Eastern Province in terms of breast cancer cases. Patients there have to travel to other cities for adequate treatment and chemotherapy sessions. In many cases, they have to stay away from their families for long periods of time. The chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Cancer Society's Al-Ahsa branch, Muhammad Al-Afaleq, revealed that the governorate will see the foundation of the first cancer detection center at an estimated cost of SR20 million. He added that the society is working together with local directorate of health affairs to decide upon the proper location for this project.
