Shafaq News- Al-Anbar
More than 6,000 cancer cases were recorded last year in Ramadi, in Iraq’s western Al-Anbar province, one of the highest annual totals in recent years, Amir Hazem, a physician at the Ramadi Oncology Center, told Shafaq News on Wednesday, as the world marked World Cancer Day today.
Separately, Mohammed Al‑Qaisi, media director at Al-Anbar Health Directorate, told our agency that more than 20,700 patients visited the center last year, while 1,120 new admissions were recorded. According to the directorate’s figures, the center conducted 1,122 mammograms, 1,189 radiology scans, and administered 19,748 chemotherapy doses. Laboratory activity included 58,476 clinical chemistry tests and 18,487 hematology analyses. The data also showed 3,454 Pap smear tests, 633 inpatient cases, 66 biopsies, 974 blood transfusions, and 444 platelet transfusions.
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Civil activist Youssef Ibrahim called for cancer patients in Al-Anbar to be treated as a public priority, urging authorities and civil society groups to go beyond treatment and invest in awareness, early screening, and psychological and social support for patients and their families.
He said the province needs stronger community initiatives and greater investment in prevention programs, alongside partnerships with health institutions to expand early diagnosis and treatment, warning that delayed detection continues to drive mortality rates.
Read more: Home or Hope? The Impossible Choice for Iraqi Cancer Patients