Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The SANED Association for Children with Cancer is preparing to make its vision of building an exclusive oncology center in Jeddah in the hope of putting back the smile on the faces of children afflicted with the killer disease as well as their parents.

The Oncology Center for Children will cover a large vacuum that exists not just in Jeddah but throughout the Kingdom for treating the constantly increasing child SANED has revealed that it plans to build the multi-million riyal hospital to ensure top-notch nursing services for children with neoplastic diseases and hematological malignancies, said Abdullah Baosman, president of SANED during an annual function held in the presence of Prince Badar Bin Sultan, acting emir of Makkah.

Baosman said SANED was determined to engage further in extend healing hands to cancer patients. Since its establishment the association has assisted in the treatment of more than 100 children with cancer. He told gathering that it referred these children to six various hospitals in Jeddah. He also said SANED was providing assistance to over 30 families of sick children to meet their basic needs. It provides accommodation to 10 families in an exclusive compound.

The construction of the hospital will be according to most modern scientific standards in order to cover the needs for integrated diagnosis, hospitalization and treatment of children in an environment that will also be friendly.

As many as 700 children are tested positive for cancer in the Kingdom every year. The rate of child cancer cases in Saudi Arabia is 270 percent more than that in the US, according to some studies.

At present, the King Fahd National Center for Children’s Cancer and Research at Riyadh is the only cancer treatment center for children not only in Saudi Arabia but in the entire Middle East as well.

The center is an integrated part of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center and provides both inpatient and outpatient services in pediatric hematology and oncology.

Hamza Bakr Aoun, general supervisor and the master brain behind SANED, told Saudi Gazette that it was a good gesture of philanthropy on the part of the Jeddah community, which came forward to help children with cancer.

Abdullah Al-Tawi, director general of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development’s office in the Makkah province hailed the efforts to care for children suffering from cancer.

Prince Turki Bin Abdullah and Princess Duaa also spoke on the occasion. A number of children suffering from cancer presented a cultural program, which impressed the audience.