The Forum for Children with Cancer: increase in the number of diagnoses and governmental failure to provide treatment.
Last Thursday families of children with cancer demanded from the iraqi government the provosion of hospitals able to treat their children............
This demand came during a meeting convened by the forum at the chamber of commerce in basra.
The chairman of the forum, Leyth Shakir Alsalihi told the gathering of the serious rise in the number of cancer cases, pointing out that the number of childen currently being treated at the Ibn Gazwan hospital in Basra alone amounted to more than 640, not taking into account cases in other local hospitals.
Alsalihi told "Radio Sawa" "This cry/call for help is meant for the ears of the honorable people of Iraq to save as many of our children as possible,...our children are dying and there is no action by those responsible...there is not enough medicaine to treat all the children...."
Abu Hayder, the father of one of the sick children told Radio Sawa " I sold my car to buy medicine for my son...the cheapest medicaine costs ID15, 000 and a simple lab test costs ID300,000...the hospital doesn't own the lab equipment...why does a private hospital own the necessary lab equipment and the government one doesn't..."
Another father said that he has given up his job to be at his son's side in the hospital to help with his care. He also told "Radio Sawa", "tests cost us between ID10,000 and ID250,000 all because Ibn Gazwan hospital hasn't been equipped by the government with the necessary lab equipment..."
Another father called for the establisment of private cancer hospitals to deal with the large numbers of children requiring treatment locally.." the alternative is to send them elsewhere.." This man had to give up his house in Najaf, store his furniture with a friend and divide his other children amongst relatives to come and stay with his sick son at the hospital in Basra.
In the whole of Iraq, only Baghdad and Basra can boast cancer treatment hospitals.. The forum was establised a few weeks ago composed of the families of children with cancer in Basra to demand action from the government.
