New med students inspired by work of Qatar Cancer Society

New Medical Program students visited Qatar Cancer Society’s (QCS) headquarters to learn more about the charity’s mission to raise awareness and understanding of the disease.

The new intake of students visited the QCS office in Al Sadd where they met staff, toured the facilities, and heard a presentation about the charity’s work. The students learned that a key part of the work of QCS is a determination to defeat the widespread misconception among some communities that almost all cases of cancer are terminal.

Dr. Hadi Mohamad Abu Rasheed, health educator at QCS, said:

“We aim to give people hope by giving them accurate information. There is a widespread belief and fear that being diagnosed with cancer simply means that you are going to die. This is just not true.

In fact, while cancer still unfortunately takes many lives, many forms of cancer can now be treated very effectively, especially if diagnosed and treated early. We work to encourage people to have regular check-ups to catch cancer early, to help people understand that the disease can often be treated very successfully, and to support cancer patients and their loved ones while they go through their treatment.

We also work to educate the community about healthy lifestyle habits that can help reduce cancer risk, such as taking regular exercise, eating a balanced diet and refraining from smoking.”

QCS was established in 1997 under the umbrella of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The charity raises awareness by delivering lectures, seminars, training courses and workshops at schools, universities, commercial companies and government institutions, as well as by participating in and organizing public events.

The charity also runs a volunteer program, providing training to people who want to help at events or meet with cancer patients and their family and friends to offer advice and support. Many volunteers are cancer survivors themselves who are able to draw on first-hand experience of the disease and offer hope and practical advice to patients going through the same ordeal.

WCM-Q has built a strong partnership with QCS and in the first half of 2016 students collaborated with the charity to record the inspirational stories of cancer survivors and publish them in an educational booklet for patients called Story of Hope.

First-year medical student Sham Hasnah said:

“Visiting QCS has been really useful to give us an understanding of the emotional and social impact of cancer that you might not always be aware of as a doctor. As trainee doctors we know we are likely to encounter and treat cancer patients in our careers and so it is really important for us to understand all aspects of the disease so that we can offer care that is effective but also compassionate.”

For more information about Qatar Cancer Society or to volunteer visit www.qcs.qa