His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday inaugurated the Khalid Shoman Nuclear Medicine Department at the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC), equipped with a JD2 million early cancer detection device.



The PET/CT scanner, donated by the late Khalid Shoman's family, is the first of its kind in Jordan and is one of the most important tools in the early detection and diagnosis of cancer.


The PET/CT is a combination of PET and CT scanner, which gives the added advantages of a full three-dimensional view of an organ, giving maximum diagnostic accuracy. It is the only imaging technique that can distinguish between a benign and a malignant tumour.


In appreciation of the Shoman family's donation, King Abdullah bestowed the Al Hussein Decoration for Distinguished Contribution of the First Degree upon Suha Shoman, widow of the late Khalid Shoman.


HRH Princess Ghida Talal, chairperson of the board of trustees of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF), thanked the King for his support, which, she said, enables it to sustain the KHCC's mission in providing state-of-the-art care to an increasing number of patients from Jordan and the Middle East.


“Suha, Omar and Aysha Shoman's dedication and support for the KHCC will contribute to saving the lives of hundreds of patients,” said Princess Ghida.


Suha Shoman called on all those with the means to support the centre to do so.


“Everybody who is capable of supporting the centre should make a donation so it can continue with its mission,” she told The Jordan Times.


KHCC Director General Mahmoud Sarhan said this donation sets an example for others to follow, calling on the private sector to support the centre's activities.


According to Sarhan, 3,400 people are diagnosed with cancer annually in the country.
Sarhan said the centre is planning to increase its capacity from 140 beds to 250 to 300 beds. Construction of new buildings for this purpose is already under way, he said.


KHCF was established in 1997 as the legal umbrella organization responsible for the KHCC.


It is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization run by a board of trustees.


Being the only regional comprehensive cancer centre, approximately 75 per cent of patients seeking medical care at KHCC are from Jordan, with 25 per cent from neighboring countries in the Middle East.

The Jordan Times