Cancer patients face death risk in Yemen

English - Thursday 14 February 2019 الساعة 10:22 am
Mocha - NewsYemen.net

Tens of thousands of Yemenis (about 35,000) have cancer, including Layan, 4, from Sana'a province and Mohammed, 3, Ibb province.

A 4-year-old-girl, Layan, suffers from cancer that affects her lymphatic system.

"There are no words to describe the pain of the child girl Layan", the mother of Layan said.

Mohammed, 3 and a half, suffers from caner which caused his kidneys.
Mohammed has so far received six doses of chemotherapy for eight months, along with two additional doses in the coming months.

The cost of travelling from Ibb province into Sana'a province costs us Y.R 50,000 to cover transportation costs, says Mohammed's mother.

"One cancer dose of treatment costs us a lot of money and we have to borrow money to pay for treatment, the mother added.

My husband works as a teacher and the Government stopped paying salaries for its employees, we did not have anything, she pointed out.

Yemen and Cancer

In Yemen, some 35,000 patients suffer from cancer, more than 1,000 children suffering from cancer - nearly 12% of the 11,000 new cases diagnosed every year in the country.

Cancer should not be considered a death penalty... but it is penalty in Yemen; many Yemenis cannot afford to pay cancer medicines, they are forced to stay in their homes without treatment waiting for death that could stop their pain.

Mrs. Safia is another case, she suffers from cancer as well. Safia is from Hajjah province. Safia is a displace woman who is from Harad district in Hajjah.

Mrs. Safia has done more than ten cancer's doses and around 33 radiotherapy sessions since she was diagnosed.

"Traveling from Harad district to Sana'a for treatment is very stressful for my mother, and it costs us a lot of money," says Abdullah, a son of Mrs. Safia.

We have sold everything we have to provide treatment for my mother. The cost of traveling from Harad to Sana'a amount to Y.R 120,000 (about $ 250 at least); I lost my job at the beginning of the war and now we live on loans and donations by charitable organizations," the son added.

Most cancer patients receive treatment at the National Cancer Center in Sana'a, which receives more than 600 patients a month.

"We receive at least 25 new cases each day, many patients leave the center without any hope of returning to treatment because they cannot afford these costs, and I feel the great pain of not being able to help them," said Dr. Abdullah Dhaba'an, the director of public relations at the center.


"Even those patients who have been able to go to the treatment center are now at risk, because we, refering to the Center, are very underfunded and do not even have the operational expenses, the need is great, we have a severe shortage of cancer treatment drugs; which will lead to a reduction in the number of patients receiving treatment, to close our doors to the sick, they will face impending death.