Enab Baladi – Christina al-Shammas
“I spend four hours in the saddest place, where you can only hear the silent screams of patients,” described Abd al-Rahman al-Omari, a cancer patient, about his hardships while visiting al-Biruni Hospital for treatment.
Al-Omari (45 years old), who suffers from leukemia, has faced a continuous struggle for the past five years to secure funds for his treatment and medications, as the hospital provides him with doses that are sometimes ineffective, according to his statement.
“The last time I went to the hospital, there were no medical supplies available, to the extent that I had to buy cotton at my personal expense to receive the dose,” al-Omari said.
Al-Omari’s story reflects the suffering of cancer patients and their families in obtaining free treatment at al-Biruni University Hospital in Harasta, rural Damascus, which is the only main center specializing in treating cancers and offers its diagnostic and therapeutic services for free.
The hospital receives about 60% of cancer patients in Syria, exceeding its capacity.
Like the healthcare sector in Syria, it faces many challenges, including a shortage of chemotherapy doses for patients, the unavailability of specific types for certain critical cases, and a lack of medications and medical equipment, forcing patients to choose between two options: either expensive treatment that they and their families must bear, or delaying their treatment journey while waiting for their turn at the hospital’s entrance.
Patients’ conditions
Syria has seen an increase in cancer cases in recent years. In 2020, there were 21,000 new cancer cases and 13,000 deaths due to the disease, according to a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These figures are expected to almost double by 2030.
Samira Deeb (50 years old), who suffers from breast cancer and lives in Damascus, visits al-Biruni Hospital once a week for her treatment. However, her body’s lack of response to the doses provided by the hospital forced her to purchase doses at her own expense.
“The cost of a single dose reaches 500,000 Syrian pounds, which I cannot afford, forcing me to rely on financial assistance to continue my treatment,” Deeb stated.
Mohammad Abdul Salam al-Bari (65 years old), a bone cancer patient from Deir Ezzor province, travels with his wife to Damascus every 15 days for treatment at the hospital.
Al-Bari’s suffering is not limited to the challenge of securing treatment and medication costs and the constant travel between the provinces, but also includes his inability to rent accommodation in Damascus, forcing him to sleep in the hospital corridors due to the lack of available beds, as he told Enab Baladi.
Treatment costs: The second foe
The cost of chemotherapy sessions in Syria ranges between $200 and $500 each, depending on the type of cancer and the required treatment.
With the worsening economic situation and rising drug prices, patients find themselves in severe financial predicaments, leading many families to seek unreliable alternatives or delay treatment until their conditions worsen.
After being diagnosed with lung cancer, Mazen Muammar (35 years old) said a doctor told him, “If you have any assets, start selling,” implying that his treatment journey would be costly due to the unavailability of certain doses at al-Biruni Hospital.
The cost of a single dose reaches one and a half million Syrian pounds, an amount that does not match Muammar’s monthly income, which in the best case is two million pounds.
“Cancer is not my only adversary; the costs of my treatment will be my second most lethal enemy,” said Muammar.
Hussam Barik could not hide his concern for the future health of his daughter, who has been suffering from lung cancer for eight years. The unavailability of the treatment in Syria necessitates him to secure doses from Egypt, costing about 7 million pounds for a single dose.
Barik was forced to sell his house in Jaramana, his car, and his wife’s gold jewelry to continue his daughter’s treatment journey, expressing, “I pay with my heart’s blood for my daughter’s recovery.”
The story of Munira al-Sahwi (40 years old), who suffers from lymphoma and lives in As-Suwayda and receives her treatment at al-Biruni Hospital in rural Damascus, is no different from the others. Al-Sahwi recounts that her family had to sell some of their belongings to cover her treatment costs. “We had no choice but to sell the car, which was our only means of transportation, but even that was not enough to cover the costs of chemotherapy.”
Reasons for equipment shortages
Dr. Radwan al-Ahmad, director of al-Biruni University Hospital, told Enab Baladi that the shortage of equipment and medical supplies is due to several reasons, the most notable being the logistical and economic challenges facing the healthcare sector in general.
In addition, there are difficulties in securing materials from suppliers due to previously imposed economic sanctions, as well as rising transportation and storage costs.
Dr. al-Ahmad explained that the heavy pressure on the hospital as a main center for cancer treatment increases daily consumption of supplies.
He noted that the procurement of chemotherapy doses is done through centralized procurement via the Ministry of Health exclusively, which has not yet been secured for the reasons stated.
Dr. al-Ahmad clarified that chemotherapy doses are distributed to patients according to approved treatment plans within the hospital based on specific medical criteria.
In case the required dose is unavailable or no alternative exists in the hospital, some patients are asked to secure treatment from abroad, which imposes a heavy burden on them, according to al-Ahmad.
He confirmed that the hospital management collaborates with a rapid response team to secure doses, but sometimes the quantities are not enough to cover all patients, or the doses do not match certain conditions, leading to poor responses among some patients.
Additionally, some cases require specific medications not always available at the hospital, emphasizing that all doses are given according to global protocols, but some diseases are inherently difficult to treat.
He pointed out that there are several obstacles facing the hospital management, including weak funding, untimely centralized procurement, ongoing shortages of medical supplies, and a surge in the number of patients exceeding the hospital’s capacity.
To address these challenges, according to al-Ahmad, the hospital management works in collaboration with the ministries of health and higher education to develop procurement mechanisms and improve storage and distribution, in addition to seeking additional support from international organizations.
Dire conditions for cancer patients: Al-Biruni Hospital faces challenges alone Enab Baladi.
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