JEDDAH — The Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies (ISNC), partnered with Ministry of Health to bring awareness on colorectal cancer and it’s screening among the Saudi population in Jeddah. Dean Dr. Rashad Hassan Habibulla Alkashgari conceptualized the cancer awareness, prevention and screening.
He motivates the students and faculties to actively engage in Public Health Education and Community Services in order to enhance Saudi Arabian health care especially in the areas of prevention and early diagnosis of diseases. His active leadership played a vital role to bring community service as an institutional strategy and integrated it in the mission of ISNC and its program.
The project’s mission on bringing “Awareness on Colorectal Cancer and it’s screening among Saudi population” is supervised by Dr. Suban Mohammed Gouse (Head – Histopathology Division). He said that colorectal cancer is the most common cancer among Saudi males and third most common cancer among Saudi females according to the Saudi Cancer Registry. The scientific data derived from various studies revealed that colorectal cancer appears at young age when compared with Western population and majority of the patients know about it in late stage of the disease.
That is the reason for National Cancer Guidelines Committee on colorectal cancer strongly recommends starting the screening from the age of 45 years in Saudi population. Periodical screening for colorectal cancer leads to early diagnosis. In turn early diagnosis leads to better prognosis. The first campaign was carried out on Jan. 26 in a single women center, Gulaiyl and followed by Jan. 28 in Al Thager Hospital. The response of public for these campaigns motivated the entire team of faculties (Dr. Helen Gouse – coordinator, community services, Dr. Zaheeda Nikhat and Ms. Nejiba Al-Jhinaoui) and students (Maan Meshal Althobaiti, Mohammad Abdullatif S Tulbah, Khalid Ghanim Alshehri, Mahmoud Ayman Mahmoud Morsy, Mohammed Adel Atik, Fadi Maher Alzaiem, Abdulrahman Mohammed Alradadi, Abdulelah Bakash & others) to realize the importance and necessity of such campaign.
The major agenda during the campaign is to ensure that all participants learn about the importance of early signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer as well as various periodical screening modalities in an evidence-based manner to minimize their chances of getting this disease and increase their survival likelihood. And also encouraged the participants in the campaign to initiate the screening from them and their family members and then reach to the community; hence was born the initiative #StartsFromUs with a concept to attain success in creating awareness.
The concept was further enhanced by the Dean (Dr. Rashad Alkashgari), Vice Chairman - Board of Trustees & Vice Dean of Clinical Pharmacy Program (Dr. Abdulaziz Al Yahya), Vice Dean of Medicine Program (Dr. Talal Al Khatib), Vice Dean of Dentistry Program (Dr. Othman Wali), Vice Dean of Female Section (Dr. Huda Othman) and Clinical Training Supervisor (Dr. Ahmed Al Harbi) to organize a signature campaign on Feb. 26 in ISNC Main Campus to outreach the ISNC students and their families.
The concept was promoted during the event and Dr. Alkashgari inaugurated twitter account @BeAwareCRC and his speech during the event motivated the ISNC students especially Colorectal Cancer Awareness team and its volunteers to extensively work hard and take the campaign into a different dimension of using the social media. The responses of these campaigns made us to stay optimistic and fueled us to move forward.
The one to one and signature campaigns continued in the month of March (Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month declared by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), World Health Organization) with the help of ISNC’s volunteers in Ibn Sina National College Hospital – Al Mahjar (March 16), New Al Jeedani Hospital – Gulaiyl (March 17) and Al Jeedani Hospital – As Safa (March 18).
As a continuum of this project, ISNC’s Colorectal Cancer Awareness Team organized one to one and signature campaigns in Red Sea Mall & Al Andalus Mall from April 1 to 7. All nationals and expatriates benefitted from this campaign and joined hands in spreading awareness on colorectal cancer and its screening. The community communicated in a highly positive tone that they will act upon the concept of Colorectal Cancer awareness and screening “#StartsFromUs”.
Then group offers its sincere gratitude to Sheikh Shali Attia Aljedaani for funding CRC Awareness Project & Dr. Huda Aljedaani for providing necessary arrangements to effectively execute the campaigns inside the Aljedaani Group of Hospitals. It also acknowledges Dr. Hani Atwa, Prof. Nasr Arafat and Ms. Nejiba Al Jhinaoui for translating survey forms, posters and flyers in Arabic. It also acknowledges Ms. Hatoon Meshal Althobaiti and Ms. Asrar Abdulrhem Qari, Medicine Program students from King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences for supporting the ISNC’s volunteer team. — SG
