VIDEO: Kurdistan Region spent $60 million on cancer treatment in past year

kurdistan24.net

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In statements honoring World Cancer Day on Thursday, top Kurdistan Region officials affirmed their government's commitment to providing necessary aid to cancer patients and that $60 million had been allocated to clinics that treat the disease over the past year alone, despite the coronavirus health crisis the world finds itself in.

“I send my thoughts to cancer survivors, those battling this disease, and the many it has taken from us,” said Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in a social media post.

He pointed out that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is committed to providing necessary aid to people with cancer, pointing out that his government invested the millions last year in the Regional Government Cancer Fund to secure the necessary resources for medical teams to be able to treat the cancer patients, “including new and upgraded centers and drugs.”

"We know that patients need comprehensive support. That’s why treatment at this center is free and offered to those in other parts of Iraq, too. We also provide financial assistance when possible,” Barzani added.

According to the World Health Organization, about one in six deaths occur due to cancer, worldwide. Additionally, the organization says an average of 200 per 100,000 persons is infected with cancer annually.

The Minister of Health in Kurdistan Region, Saman Barzinji, also said in a Thursday press conference that, "during the year 2020, more than 70 billion dinars were allocated to health and medical services provided to cancer patients in the Kurdistan Region," adding that most of those sums were spent purchasing medicines and other treatment for patients.

The minister noted that the autonomous region of Iraq “recorded 6,293 new cases of cancer during the year 2020, indicating that nearly 30 percent of those infected are from central and southern regions of Iraq who come to the Kurdistan Region for the purpose of treatment. We do not distinguish between citizens and everyone receives treatment in hospitals in a fair manner."

Smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, an unhealthy diet, and the lack of an active lifestyle are among the significant risks that lead to cancer cases worldwide. They are also the four shared risk factors for other non-communicable diseases.

Feb. 4 has been marked as World Cancer Day to raise awareness about the illness and to encourage early diagnosis, as well as treatment and other forms of prevention services.

Editing by John J. Catherine