Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi (L) In an official statement made during her visit to Tanzania, Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, founder and royal patron of the Friends of Cancer Patients Society (FoCP), International Ambassador of the World Cancer Declaration for the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for UICC, stressed on developing international strategies to save the lives of children suffering from paediatric cancer around the world.
She said such strategies must form an integral part of the overall programmes to control cancer and non-communicable diseases, with a special focus on the low and middle income countries.
Sheikha Jawaher is in Tanzania to participate in the 11th African Conference of International Society of Paediatric Oncology, in collaboration with UICC and International Society for Paediatric Oncology. She was received at Dar es Salaam Airport by Tanzania's First Lady Salma Kikwete alongside representatives of regional and international healthcare organisations.
During her visit, she said unified efforts to raise awareness are required to help save the lives of the thousands of cancer-affected children. "Cancer is one of the leading causes of death among children in developing countries, which affects over 250,000 children every year. Around 90,000 children die from cancer each year and 80% of them are from low and middle-income countries”.
She said that every child in this world has the right to be healthy, to grow up safe, and to receive education. This is a humanitarian duty that the international community must fulfil, regardless of the child's nationality, race, or religion. Sheikha Jawaher called for increased cooperation on the international level in the fight against paediatric cancer through different initiatives such as vaccination for children in early ages, in addition to providing early detection and care centres in rural areas.
Other initiatives are provision of necessary treatments as well as training for medical professionals on modern methods of diagnosis and how to deal with patients and their parents.
Sheikha visits govt hospital
After the conclusion of the conference, Sheikha Jawaher and Tanzania's First Lady visited Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, the largest government hospital in Tanzania, where she visited a number of child cancer patients and expressed her hopes that they will overcome disease and resume their normal life activities, play and study with their peers.
Source: Khaleej Times