Suhair Al-Idlibi

Idlib – Cancer patients in Idlib suffer from several difficulties, such as the lack of healthcare capacity, and inadequate treatment.

Recently, many types of cancer have significantly spread in northern and northwestern regions of Syria. According to a recent statistic, 1889 people were able to enter Turkey in 2018 to receive treatment. 284 of them had breast cancer and the others had other types of cancer.

 Hanan Al-Youssef (33) is originally from the Khan Shikhoun city and lives in Sarmada town. She said that suddenly a cancerous lump appeared in her head. Her husband doesn’t work and they suffer from poverty. She can't afford the expenses of the expensive treatment, so she goes to the free hospitals in Idlib to get painkillers or some medicines that can stop her pain.

Hanan Al-Youssef was unable to obtain free treatment in Turkey because entering Turkey is very difficult. So she stays in Idlib and takes her medicines.

Ruba Al-Qaddah (30) said, “A cancerous lump appeared in my chest. I went to a doctor and the doctor sent me from Bab Al-Hawa Hospital to Idlib Central Hospital and I was given medicines for two years.  After a short period, I released new lumps all around my body. I started to take medicines again. Now I am waiting for my fate.”

On November 3, 2018, the first medical center for treating cancer was opened in Idlib by the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS).

The center provides not only medicines for cancer patients, but also chemotherapy treatments. Also, the center carries out surgeries for breast and lymphoma cancer patients and lymphoma, and the other patients go to Turkey for treatment. 

Dr. Mulham Khalil (33), a specialist doctor in hematology and oncology,  said that the center receives monthly more than 40 cancer patients, 20% of them are breast cancer patients and the rest of patients suffer from uterine, ovarian, colon, lymphoma, and blood cancers. He said the early diagnosis of cancer is very important to treat it completely, and they provide treatment for all stages of cancer in the center.  

Dr. Mulham Khalil believed that there is no increase in the rate of cancer, but there is an increase in the diagnostic of the cancer because of raising awareness among people after the opening of the center in Idlib.   

 Dr. Alaa Al-Mousa (32) said that the reason for the increase in the rate of cancer such as especially breast, colon, lung, and blood cancer is because of the ongoing civil war; people use more various types of weapons and explosive material which contain toxic, oxidizing, and carcinogenic substances.

According to a report published in September 2018 by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, Syria was ranked fifth among western Asian countries in the number of cancer patients.