Feature: Sudan's children cancer hospital represents glimpse of hope for young patients

Posters will be put on different means of transportation in Sudan to promote the community initiative of Hospital for Free Treatment of Children's Cancer (7979), which is entering its second phase aiming at involving all the Sudanese community to contribute to the project.

Launched by Sudan's Bital Balad Charity Society, the initiative helps manage the deteriorating health reality and lack of a specialized hospital for treatment of children with cancer in Sudan.

Having received wide response, organizations and citizens actively contributed to the construction of the hospital, situated in the capital Khartoum, and are gearing up to provide it with necessary equipments and specialists.

"This is a great initiative that Sudan really needs to serve our children," said Hussein Omer Abu Reem, chairman of the sub-committee of transportation means in Khartoum locality, who confirmed the "posters plan."

"The idea of the hospital emerged from the urgent need for such a project. It is the first hospital of its kind in Sudan," said Laila Mohamed Ali, chair of Bital Balad Charity Society.

The chair thanked "all the popular sectors which support us in this humanitarian project," referring to the project as it entered the second phase.

Figures show that the number of children with cancer in Sudan is estimated at about 450,000, which alert the public of the instant need to provide treatment for the infected children.

The children's cancer hospital is launched in Bahry locality, north of Khartoum, said Hassan Mohamed Hassan, commissioner of Bahry locality, promising to provide the necessary support for the hospital.

He added that some of the children travel to neighboring countries, such as Egypt, to receive treatment due to lack of specialized children cancer hospital in Sudan, and "such a hospital could reduce the cost of treatment abroad."

The hospital tends to make use of similar successful experiences from hospitals like 57357 children's cancer hospital in Egypt, a team of it visited the patron of the Sudanese initiative few days ago.

The hospital is a six-story building with an integrated surgery complex, intensive care and emergency rooms.

It is set to receive 300 cases daily, and would be constructed in three phases, according to Bital Balad charity society. Endit