REGIONAL INITIATIVES
Ten years on, after having started with only four full-time obstacles - the “denial of the cancer epidemic”.
doctors, KHCC now boasts 200 full-time oncologists and The latest victory took place in November 2012 when
consultants, treating over 3,500 new cancer cases each year. member states agreed to adopt nine targets and 25 indicators,
The Center has also earned three international accreditations; including the overarching target to reduce premature deaths
stamps of quality certifying that KHCC has achieved from noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, 25% by the
international standards of cancer care2. year 2025. The adoption of these voluntary targets (including
the target on essential medicines) is the surest sign that
Providing financial access countries are now collectively willing to take the steps
The physical access to quality care was finally solved, but the necessary to fight the cancer epidemic. With the framework in
financial access to the treatment at KHCC remained an place, real hope might become palpable in the near future and
obstacle. The Jordanian government stepped in to cover a real access to cancer care in the developing world may soon
highly significant portion of the population, but some fell become a reality.l
between the gaps. Furthermore, we had patients from across
the region – from Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Sudan – HRH Princess Dina Mired is Director General of the King
who had no access to care in their homelands and came to us Hussein Cancer Foundation in Amman, Jordan. She is the mother
seeking treatment, yet fell outside of the umbrella of of a cancer survivor and the Honorary Co-President of Harvard
government coverage. So KHCF involved the entire University’s Global Task Force for Expanded Access to Cancer
community in fundraising for the treatment of underprivileged Control and Care in the Developing World. Princess Dina is on the
patients. To that end, the Foundation developed numerous Presidential Advisory Panel of the Union for International Cancer
fundraising programmes so that people of all walks of life could Control (UICC) and is an Ambassador of the UICC World Cancer
support the Foundation and its mission. As a result, people Declaration Ambassadors Program. She is a LIVESTRONG Global
began to feel an affiliation and a sense of loyalty to the Center; Envoy, an active member of the Clinton Global Initiative and an
they began to view it as their Center. And this was the final key Honorary Member of the Mediterranean Task Force for Cancer
in the success story of the Foundation and Center; the Control.
community wanted and needed this organization to succeed.
The King Hussein Cancer Foundation Foundation is a nonprofit
Future challenges institution entirely dedicated to combating cancer. Its medical
Of course, true accessibility to care is an ongoing battle and arm, the King Hussein Cancer Center, is an internationally
issues persist as cancer cases continue to rise in the accredited cancer treatment center, which offers comprehensive
developing world while prevention programmes are not yet in cancer care to patients of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities.
place. This is why we felt great pride and optimism when civil It is the only centre in the developing world to earn international
society garnered global attention and pressured the United accreditation as a disease-specific cancer centre by the Joint
Nations to issue a political declaration in September 2011; an Commission International.
act which struck a heavy blow at the most cancerous of all
References
1.
According to the 2009 Economist Intelligence Unit report International as a disease specific cancer centre, and from the College of American
2.
The King Hussein Cancer Center holds international accreditations from the Joint Pathologists certifying its excellence in pathology and laboratory medicine.
Commission International as a general hospital, from the Joint Commission
CANCER CONTROL 2013 137