His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday inaugurated the Nizar Al Nakeeb Radiation Oncology Department at the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC).
Named after Nizar Al Nakeeb, an Iraqi who donated JD1.5 million to renovate and upgrade the Department.
Dedicating his donation to His Majesty the late King Hussein, whom he described as “the dearest person he ever knew,” Al Nakeeb said it was an opportunity to serve the community.
King Abdullah thanked the philanthropist for his donation, describing him as a role model on how individual contributions can make a real difference in the fight against cancer.
KHCC Director General Mahmoud Sarhan briefed the King on the department's vital role in cancer treatment and on the importance of continually upgrading it in order to provide the latest in cancer treatment.
HRH Princess Ghida, chairperson of KHCF board of trustees, thanked His Majesty for inaugurating the department and commended his continued support to the KHCC and its patients.
She said Al Nakeeb's donation is the largest grant ever extended to the centre, adding that he had previously donated JD500,000 to the centre's Iraqi charity fund initiated by King Abdullah for Iraqi cancer patients who cannot afford to pay for treatment. Some 18 per cent of patients treated at the centre are non-Jordanians, and up to 12 per cent of them are Iraqis, according to Sarhan.
The King also visited the KHCC's tele-synergy department, an advanced video-conferencing facility allowing doctors at the centre to discuss a patient's case with professionals from leading cancer research institutes in the US, including the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
Their Royal Highnesses Prince Raad, Prince Mired, KHCF Director General Princess Dina and members of the KHCF board of trustees were present at the event.
The KHCC, with a 148-bed capacity, annually treats more than 3,000 cases of cancer.
It was founded in 1997 as a nongovernmental, not-for-profit comprehensive centre dedicated entirely to cancer care.
The Jordan Times