The Director-General of Hereditary and Chronic Diseases Control, Dr. Mohammad Al-Sa'eedi, has pointed out that raising the health awareness among citizens and the advanced means of detecting and diagnosing tumors have contributed, May Allah be praised, to inducing the citizens to undergo periodic check-up and the early detection of tumors, which is reflected on the increased registration of the infected cases, in accordance with the Saudi Cancer Registry (SCR).
Dr. Al-Sa'eedi has further indicated that the number of the infected cases with cancer, detected and registered in the Kingdom, mounted to 110946 cases according to the SCR's last report, with an age standardized rate of 76.8/100.000.
In the same vein, Dr. Al-Sa'eedi went on adding that the incidence of cancer in the Kingdom, compared to the global incidence, is still low (the global incidence is: 180/100.000). Nevertheless, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is keen to provide the diagnostic and therapeutic services for cancer throughout its diverse health facilities and MOH specialized oncology centers located in the Kingdom’s major cities (the oncology centers pertinent to King Fahad Medical City, King Fahad Hospital in Dammam, King Abdullah Hospital in the Holy Capital “Makkah”, in addition to the oncology center of Al-Qassim, and that of Madinah). Besides, Dr. Al-Sa'eedi has noted that MOH is establishing three other specialized oncology centers that have been approved as a part of MOH budget for the current fiscal year, that are to be established in the governorates of Al-Ahsa, Hail and Jazan with, a total bed capacity of 300 beds. This comes within the framework of the National Project for the Comprehensive and Integrated Health Care, in order to provide the high quality health services for citizens.
In conclusion, Dr. Al-Sa'eedi has mentioned that the diagnostic and therapeutic services for cancer are provided, also, by such other governmental sectors as King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, the National Guard Hospital, the Military Hospital and Security Forces Hospital, aside from private hospitals.