Challenges of Child Cancer Care in Yemen

Ahmed Bajoaim – Sawt Al-Amal (Voice of Hope)

February 15th marks World Children’s Cancer Day, aiming to raise awareness about early detection. According to Dr. Walid Al-Batati, Executive Director of Hadhramaut Cancer Control Foundation (Amal), leukemia is the most common childhood cancer in Yemen, posing a significant challenge to the country’s healthcare system, especially given the current difficult circumstances.

Leukemia is a malignant disease affecting bone marrow, impacting the body’s ability to produce healthy blood cells, exposing affected children to serious health complications. Experts highlight the need for improved early detection and treatment capabilities to support these children and alleviate their suffering.

Children with cancer in Yemen suffer from a severe lack of medical care due to ongoing conflicts that have destroyed healthcare infrastructure and worsened the humanitarian situation. These children and their families face significant difficulties accessing appropriate treatment, including shortages of medicines, medical equipment, and specialists in many areas, including Hadhramaut. Deteriorating living conditions have exacerbated the suffering of children with cancer, leading to higher mortality rates compared to other countries.

Cancer and Children

According to a 2020 UN report, over 12 million Yemeni children need humanitarian assistance – 4 out of 5 children in the country. UNICEF has confirmed that Yemen is one of the worst places for a child to be born due to the difficult conditions children face amidst ongoing conflict and health and humanitarian threats.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2018 that approximately 300,000 children are diagnosed with cancer globally each year, with Yemeni cases accounting for about 10%. While the global childhood cancer survival rate is high, the situation in Yemen is drastically different. Yemeni families face immense difficulties securing treatment costs, increasing their suffering.

To alleviate this suffering, WHO, in collaboration with partners, is intensifying efforts to support the National Oncology Center in Yemen by providing necessary medications and chemotherapy supplies.

Muhammad Bamakhrama, Program Manager at the National Oncology Center in Wadi and Hadhramaut Desert, explained that the center provides comprehensive recreational and educational programs for children with cancer. The center believes that a child’s mental state is crucial in overcoming the disease; psychological improvement contributes up to 70% to successful treatment. Therefore, the center offers comprehensive support, including psychological, emotional, and financial assistance, and this group of children is among the most responsive to treatment.

Bamakhrama added that children often don’t fully grasp the severity of the disease; their fears are mostly confined to critical treatment moments, such as receiving injections or blood draws. This allows them to benefit more from recreational activities. The center organizes an annual recreational program for children from Wadi and Hadhramaut Desert, involving 18-25 children. The program includes artistic performances, drawing and archery competitions, and trips to parks and amusement parks with actors and comedians to lift their spirits and lessen the impact of chemotherapy.

Bamakhrama also mentioned that the National Oncology Center has created a special room for children with cancer, designed to be a playful environment during treatment, decorated with cartoons, toys, blankets, and children’s bedding.

He noted that, for the second consecutive year, the center is providing school bags to children with cancer in Wadi and Hadhramaut Desert, along with a daily allowance of 500 rials per child throughout the school year. Among the center’s activities is hosting artist Maria Qahtan, a friend of children with cancer, for the third time. She holds small concerts, plays with the children, and distributes gifts, providing emotional and psychological support during treatment.

In the same context, Dr. Walid Al-Batati commented that the Amal Foundation has implemented numerous activities aimed at rehabilitating and supporting children with cancer, both psychologically and socially. Among these activities is “Basmala” association, which provides children social, psychological, and financial support. An agreement was also signed with King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) to establish two annual camps. This involves bringing in specialists in childhood cancer treatment from Saudi Arabia and providing treatments unavailable in Hadhramaut.

He added, “Activities also include providing school bags for children, organizing recreational trips, and conducting near-daily visits to the children at the oncology center and the inpatient accommodation for children from outside the governorate.”

Types of Cancers

Muhammad Bamakhrama believes that the most common types of cancer affecting children in the Wadi and Hadhramaut Desert directorates are leukemia (blood cancer), which ranks first at 22%, followed by lymphoma at 19%, according to statistics from the National Oncology Center over the past five years (2019 to the time of writing). The center has also recorded more than 250 cases of childhood cancer in the past 11 years.

He explained that the children’s suffering varies depending on the type of cancer, especially regarding treatment and supportive services such as medical tests and imaging. However, the opening of the radiotherapy center at Al-Arab Hospital in Mukalla in 2024, in addition to the Qama Center for CT scans in Seiyun, will play a significant role in alleviating the suffering of patients, both from within the governorate and those from other governorates.

Dr. Walid Al-Batati confirmed that the most common types of cancer affecting children in Hadhramaut are leukemia, followed by brain cancer, then bone or skin cancer. According to the latest statistics from Hadhramaut Cancer Control Foundation (Amal) in mid-September during a medical camp, there were 62 children with cancer in the governorate. The recovery rate among children reaches 95% if the disease is detected early.

He explained that Hadhramaut lacks specialists in childhood cancer treatment. Hence, the foundation relies on bringing in specialists from Saudi Arabia through medical camps organized as part of the agreement signed with King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief).

Providing Care and Services

Muhammad Bamakhrama, Program Manager at the National Oncology Center in Wadi and Hadhramaut Desert, explained that the Risala Foundation for Cancer Control, of which Bamakhrama is a member, provides financial and psychological support to children with cancer, with a greater emphasis on psychological support, considering it a key factor in the treatment process.

He mentioned that the foundation organizes many recreational activities, such as hosting artists in singing and painting and organizing football matches involving national team stars, such as goalkeeper Muhammad Aman and team player Imad Mansoor. These activities aim to boost hope in the hearts of children with cancer.

He pointed out that the foundation organizes annual events on global occasions, such as World Cancer Day (February 4), World Children’s Cancer Day (February 15), and Pink October for breast cancer awareness. It also organizes awareness activities on other occasions, such as World No Tobacco Day (May 31) and awareness months for prostate, blood, and uterine cancers, to provide support and care to patients, especially children.

On the other hand, Dr. Walid Al-Batati, director of Hadhramaut Cancer Control Foundation (Amal), indicated that the foundation provides various programs aimed at improving the care of cancer patients, including children. It works to bring in a specialist in childhood cancer treatment to reside at the oncology center in Mukalla and has established a special department for children with cancer due to the different nature of the disease in this age group compared to adults.

In a reality where pain and hope intertwine, children with cancer in Yemen stand as symbols of will and strength, enduring a disease beyond their capacity amid harsh humanitarian and economic conditions. Despite their suffering, these children remain clinging to hope, seeking moments to escape, even briefly, from the world of treatments and medical departments where their small bodies reside.

They urgently need genuine human solidarity to open doors of hope for them and provide healthcare that befits their innocent dreams. Through this support, avenues of recovery can open for them, paving a path that ends their constant pain, at a time when the country’s health sector is experiencing significant deterioration due to a lack of necessary support.