ONLY 119 cancer patients were moved from Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) to the King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) till date, the Health Ministry announced yesterday.
The GDN yesterday quoted MP Ali bin Hameed as saying that more than 1,000 patients had been referred to the KHUH following the closure of the radiotherapy service at SMC.
He also claimed patients were facing problems getting appointments and had to wait long periods due to pressure on the radiotherapy service at KHUH.
A ministry statement said yesterday work at the SMC’s Oncology Department was suspended in the first week of June, as part of plans by the Supreme Council for Health to provide quality treatment to patients.
Comprehensive
“Radiotherapy services at SMC were now moved to KHUH as part of development plans to provide the best comprehensive oncological healthcare for patients,” said the statement.
The radiotherapy department at the KHUH started operating from March 25 providing quality treatment and application of all advanced technologies in the field, known as High Precision Radiotherapy.
The ministry also said steps were being taken to have a unified system for the treatment of cancer patients.
There were 450 new cancer cases in Bahrain in 2016, according to KHUH’s latest figures.
The GDN previously reported that the second phase of the BD31.8 million King Hamad Centre for Oncology project is slated to open this month at the KHUH in Muharraq.
The centre hopes to take in all adult cancer patients from the SMC by the end of the year and all the paediatric patients by the end of next year.
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