Renovations at Al Bashir Hospital under way ‘to grant cancer patients better services’

AMMAN — “Achieving justice among cancer patients in receiving quality treatment is on its way towards implementation, but it requires the help of everyone,” stressed Fadia Samara, campaign CEO of “Himmetna”, as she announced the signing of an agreement with the Jordan’s Constructions Contractors Association (JCCA) as a further step to achieve this goal.

Launched in August 2018 through the joint efforts of the Higher National Committee for Supporting Cancer Patients and the Friends of Cancer Patients Association, the “Himmetna” campaign aims at supporting cancer patients in demanding their full rights, according to organisers.  

Under the new agreement, the JCCA will partner with the “Himmetna” campaign to offer financial support and construction services to renovate the oncology department at Al Bashir Public Hospital, according to Samara.

Musa Ryashat, president of Higher National Committee for Supporting Cancer Patients said in a previous interview with The Jordan Times that the situation at Al Bashir Hospital’s oncology department was “outrageous”, stressing that it “should not receive cancer patients unless rehabilitated and refurbished”, a remark echoed by several cancer patients.

Samara, who is also the secretary general of the Patients Protection Coalition, said that the designing stage of the renovation was recently completed, stressing the need for further collective efforts from donors and stakeholders to turn the plans into tangible achievements on the ground.

“Instead of only blaming the government for the hospital situation, we can join hands with them to improve our public facilities and support the cancer patients,” Samara told The Jordan Times on Saturday, adding that the campaign reflects the fruitful partnership between the civil society and the government.

She also referred to the official letters from the prime and health ministries, which pledged to offer all the needed logistical support, the facilitation of measures and the issuance of construction permits in order to realise the campaign’s plans.

Samara said the campaign welcomes support and donations and pledged “full transparency and credibility” in handling donations, underlining the project’s importance in fostering human rights, particularly the cancer patients’ right of receiving medical treatment under suitable conditions that respect their privacy and dignity.

“It is the government’s duty to support and ensure the sustainability of such humanitarian projects and campaigns, which we are in dire need of,” Government Coordinator for Human Rights, Basel Tarawneh, said in a previous press conference, stressing the importance of prioritising the patients’ cases and reforming the health sector.