KUWAIT CITY, April 24:  Dr. Ebtehal Fadel, Head of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Alliance for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), praised Kuwait’s pioneering role in training medical personnel during a training course organized by the National Campaign for Cancer Awareness (CAN) on Wednesday. Dr. Fadel highlighted a regional report stating that Kuwait is actively contributing to the achievement of the United Nations' sustainable development goals, particularly in training medical staff to combat one of the most prevalent chronic diseases—cancer.

Dr. Fadel emphasized that Kuwait has been consistently successful in implementing this initiative for over 12 years, showcasing the nation's commitment to healthcare training and awareness.

In a similar statement, Dr. Khaled Al-Saleh, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Campaign for Cancer Awareness (CAN), elaborated on the campaign’s ongoing efforts. CAN’s focus is on training healthcare professionals, especially dentists, to detect early signs of oral cancers. The program also trains primary healthcare physicians to identify early symptoms of various cancers, including breast, colon, rectal, head and neck, thyroid, and prostate cancers.

Dr. Al-Saleh explained that early detection is a crucial tool in cancer diagnosis, enabling faster referral to specialists and timely treatment. This approach reduces patient suffering and enhances recovery rates, aligning with CAN’s ultimate goal of improving cancer survival outcomes.

The training initiative also includes educating nursing staff on communication skills, particularly in dealing with cancer patients and their families. This component aims to improve health culture among healthcare providers, ensuring that services are delivered with both technical proficiency and empathy.

Since the program’s inception, CAN has trained 1,617 dentists, 1,656 primary healthcare doctors, and 2,843 nurses — both male and female. Dr. Al-Saleh underscored that this initiative has become one of CAN’s most critical priorities due to its significant impact on reducing late cancer diagnoses.

He concluded that such training programs are essential to sustainable health development, demonstrating Kuwait’s leadership in healthcare advancement within the region.