Dubai // Dubai could soon receive a much-needed comprehensive cancer treatment centre, a first of its kind for the emirate.
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has commissioned a study to explore the possibility of opening a hospital for cancer treatment. The hospital would complement facilities already in place at the public Dubai Hospital and the private American Hospital Dubai.
Qhadi al Murooshid, the director general of the DHA, said he would "lead a team of top-notch experts to conduct the scientific study in a way that caters to severity and prevention" of the disease, according to a report released by WAM yesterday.
Cancer is the third-leading cause of death in the UAE, after heart disease and road accidents.
Instances of cancer are on the rise, experts say, and a comprehensive facility that would offer services in oncology, pathology and radiology — along with treatment options — would be essential for Dubai, experts say.
Breast cancer is the biggest killer of women in the UAE, accounting for 22.8 per cent of all cancer cases. About 412 people died of cancer in Abu Dhabi in 2008, 14 per cent of all deaths.
The 2008 Ministry of Health annual report, however, says that in 2007 there were only 674 cancer deaths across the whole country.
