Doha, 24 April, 2019. Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, Director General of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation, and President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) toured Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR) and Hamad General Hospital (HGH) on Wednesday, 24 April as part of her official visit to Qatar.
Accompanied by Dr. Hadi Mohamad Abu Rasheed, Supervisor of Health Education at the Qatar Cancer Society, Her Royal Highness was welcomed to NCCCR by Professor Alex Knuth, Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Al Hareth Al Khater, Deputy Medical Director, Dr. Ussama Al Homsi, Chairman of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Ms. Catherine Gillespie, Executive Director of Nursing and Director of Qatar’s National Cancer Program, and Dr. Ahmad Al Mulla, Head of the HMC Tobacco Control Center.
After a brief presentation on the Qatar National Cancer Strategy and the role of NCCCR in improving cancer care in Qatar, the delegation visited some of the hospital’s specialist units. The group toured the Radiation Oncology Department where Her Royal Highness viewed the Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (PEC/CT) facility and the Robotic Radiosurgery System (Cyberknife).
Commenting on the visit from Her Royal Highness, Professor Knuth said: “We are delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired of Jordan to NCCCR. This is a very special visit as it embodies the strong and trusted relationship between Jordan and Qatar and symbolizes the importance of mutual cooperation between the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and NCCCR. We are proud of the high-quality cancer services that our teams provide at NCCCR and we were delighted to showcase these to Her Royal Highness.”
Following her tour of NCCCR, Her Royal Highness visited Hamad General Hospital where she was welcomed by a small group of the hospital’s executive leadership and senior consultants, including Mr. Aidan Kehoe, Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Mohamad Salem Jabor Al Hassan, Chairman of Surgical Oncology, Dr. Ahmed Zarour, Head of Acute Care Surgery Section, Dr. Moustafa Khalil, Director of Operating Theaters and Chairman of the Head and Neck Tumor Board, and Dr. Aftab Mohammad Azad, Deputy Chairman, Corporate Emergency Department. As part of her visit to Hamad General, Her Royal Highness also visited the new operating theater facility.
“We are honored to have Her Royal Highness visit Hamad General Hospital. As the busiest hospital in HMC’s network, HGH plays a key role in the delivery of specialist healthcare services to Qatar’s population, including the delivery of specialist cancer surgical procedures. Our new operating theater facility opened in 2016 and has significantly advanced the quality of care we provide to cancer patients who require surgical interventions,” stated Dr. Al Hassan.
The visit from Her Royal Highness showcased the work of UICC and its impact in helping to reduce the global burden of cancer. The visit was also used to discuss the World Cancer Congress and the World Cancer Leaders' Summit, which will be held in Oman in 2020.
