Cancer rates in Iraqi Kurdistan below global average, says Health Minister
Shafaq News/The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has a lower incidence of cancer than globalaverages, according to the Kurdish Minister of Health, Dr. Saman Barzanji.
Speaking ata press conference on Thursday, Barzanji said that while the global cancer rateis 198 per 100,000, the Kurdistan Region records 151 cases per 100,000."Our cancer incidence is significantly lower than the worldwideaverage," he noted.
Barzanjialso highlighted that 85-90% of cancer treatments are free in public hospitals.However, he acknowledged that some medications might be unavailable due totheir exclusion from Kurdistan's treatment protocols.
In a relatedupdate, Dr. Yad Naqshbandi, Director of Hiwa Cancer Hospital inAl-Sulaymaniyah, reported that 1,416 cancer cases were registered in the cityduring the first half of this year. While this marks an increase from lastyear, Naqshbandi stated that the rise is not alarming.
