New cancer centre to come up in Dubai by 2020

Dubai: A new cancer treatment and research centre will be opened by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) within two years, it was announced on Tuesday.

The Dubai Oncology Research Centre slated to come up in 2020 within the premises of Dubai Hospital will cater to both adult and paediatric cancers. The centre will also have a state-of-the-art bone-marrow transplant division.

Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, director-general of the DHA, said the centre would provide state-of-the-art oncological services for all types of cancers, but would will focus on four cancers: breast, colon, lung and prostate. The centre will treat adult and paediatric cancers among UAE nationals, residents and overseas medical tourists.

Al Qutami said the first phase of the centre would begin by catering to 700 patients, which is 35 per cent of the total number of diagnosed cases of cancer patients in Dubai. The number of patients served by the centre would increase by four per cent each year until it reaches 4,000 patients by 2027.

Al Qutami made the announcement during his visit to Dubai Hospital to inspect the centre’s progress.

He revealed that while the centre will be diagnosing and treating all types of cancers, in the first phase it will focus on four cancers — breast, colon, lung cancer and prostate.

Oncologists from Dubai Hospital welcomed the prospect of such a centre.

“Every year, over 200 new cancer cases are reported in children and approximately 200 new cancer cases in adults across the UAE. A research-based centre catering to all types of cancers was the need of the hour. Very few hospitals treat both adult and paediatric cancers and this centre will have the latest immunotherapy, targeted therapies and it also plans to have a bone-marrow transplant centre,” said a paediatric oncologist.

The DHA revealed that between 2015 and 2017, the number of new cases registered at Dubai Hospital were 2,010 out of which 53 per cent were women.

Al Qutami said the centre would be one of DHA’s many development projects that aim to enhance Dubai’s health system to provide quality services and subservices transforming Dubai into one of the leading destinations for medical tourism.

Al Qutami also inspected the Dubai Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Centre at the hospital and examined the level of services provided in the field of diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant tumours.

Insurance coverage

In December 2017, the Dubai Health Authority introduced the Basmah initiative to provide coverage for cancers under the essential basic package in the mandatory health insurance scheme.

Under Basmah, the mandatory health insurance provides a complete spectrum of cancer care — from screening to treatment for three types of cancer under the basic benefit plan. The cancers covered are breast, colorectal and cervical. Screening is strictly as per international criteria.

Under the Basmah initiative, those detected with breast, colorectal or cervical cancer will receive coverage from screening until treatment. This cover will be over and above the maximum cover of Dh150,000 provided under the Essential Basic Package (EBP).

Cancer screening under the Basmah initiative includes several factors such as the age of the person. If a patient is detected with any of the three cancers during this screening, the DHA Patient Tracking and Follow-Up Centre is automatically notified. It then ensures that the complete treatment process for the patient is smooth and streamlined, explained a spokesperson for DHA.

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