Shafaq News / The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Thursday that the Region's cancer cases count had not surpassed the worldwide average. Concurrently, the Hewa Cancer Hospital's director demanded higher funding for the facility, which provides care for patients all throughout Iraq.

"Cases of cancer are increasing globally, but Kurdistan's rates of incidence have not reached global levels," said Regional Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Rahel Faridun during his statement at the Childhood Cancer Day ceremonies. He stated that "according to World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, out of every 100,000 people, 19 are affected, while in our Region, we register 12 cases per 100,000 people in all age groups."

He stated that "in the past ten years, 1,836 cases of childhood cancer have been recorded, in addition to about 8,500 cases of blood diseases."

During the ceremonies, Dr. Ziyad Al-Naqshabandi, the director of Hewa Cancer Hospital, affirmed that "despite the challenges, we provide the best services. Also, the health and environmental situation in al-Sulaymaniya is good and different from what is circulated in some media outlets."

He stated, "The hospital provides services for free at a rate of 98%, which does not exist in any region in the world, and we strive to achieve global rates in treatment and recovery."

Al-Naqshabandi pointed out that "Hewa Hospital was built in 2007, and the number of cases has tripled since then, necessitating a reconsideration of the budget of our hospital, which provides services to Iraq as a whole."

February 15th marks International Childhood Cancer Day, designated by the International Childhood Cancer Organization in 2002, to protect children from cancer.

Official data from the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Health indicates that 9,911 individuals received cancer diagnoses in the region last year.

According to official figures released by the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan Region, 81,062 people in the region had cancer diagnoses between 2012 and 2023, with women making up 23% of those cases.