Making further advancements in the fight against cancer in the country, Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) will open a QR30mn cancer training centre soon, a senior official of QCS has disclosed.
“The Ooredoo Cancer Training Centre, modelled with a QR30mn financial support from Ooredoo is in the final stages of completion. The centre is expected to be handed over to us in a few weeks’ time. We will announce the opening dates soon,” Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Jabor al-Thani, chairman of QCS, told Gulf Times recently.
Located at the Barwa Towers at Al Sadd, the centre occupies the top four floors of Tower2. The 18th and 19th floors will be used for the training facilities while 20th floor will be for the administrative staff and the top floor will be the office of the chairman and others.
Sheikh Khalid said: “The centre has a number of rooms. We have a training centre than can accommodate about 100 people and there are smaller halls too. In addition there is a library, cafeteria, consultation rooms, children’s room, physicians and paramedics’ stations, prayer rooms among others.
“The centre aims at educating people at different layers. There are programmes for physicians as well as for paramedical medical staff. Then, there is a programme for supporting general public which we aim to be the biggest.
“The programme aims to train people how to deal with patients who have been newly diagnosed with cancer or people who are already suffering from it. This aims to provide psychological support for patients as well as support during the phases of treatment.”
QCS chairman said: “We are creating support groups. They will help the patients how to go through the phases of chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments. It is all part of community education and part of the bigger programme of  fighting cancer.”
He noted that QCS can train more than 100 people at one time as the main auditorium alone can accommodate about 100 people while smaller rooms can engage about 50 people.
“We will be able to judge the programme only after six months of operation. The first few months will be used for training our own people. About 12-14 people from QCS will be working on this project,” Sheikh Khalid noted.
“The centre may not cover all types of cancer forms but will focus on the most prevalent ones in Qatar such as breast, colon, pancreas, liver, leukaemia, prostrate and lung cancer among others,” he added.