MTN funds Syrian cancer research centre
19 August 2009
South African mobile giant MTN has signed a cost-sharing agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Syria's State Planning Commission that will facilitate the establishment of the first cancer research centre in that country.
The envisaged facility, to be called the MTN Cancer Research Centre, will be based at hospitals selected by the project's partners in Syria, and the cellular operator will contribute US$500 000 over five years to finance the facility.
The partnership forms part of the UN Global Compact, a strategic platform that allows participants to advance their commitments to sustainability and corporate citizenship through public-private initiatives.
MTN Syria CEO Ismail Jaroudi said in a statement this week that MTN, which operates across Africa and the Middle East, believed in serving the communities within which it operated.
"Cancer has always been a global concern, responsible for 13% of deaths in 2008 alone," Jaroudi said. "This partnership with the UNDP provides MTN with an excellent opportunity to improve the entire approach towards cancer in Syria."
State-of-the-art technology
The centre will provide registered information and databases surrounding cancer cases around the country. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology to facilitate diagnosis and early intervention among men, women and children.
In addition, the centre will help determine the causes and assess the frequency and geographical distribution of the disease. It is expected to serve as a national resource comprising epidemiological study, clinical research, and prevention and cessation intervention development.
"The lack of statistics and information surrounding cancer in Syria has created an obvious difficulty in setting a national action plan, dealing with the various cases of infection, organising the clinical database, determining causes, frequency and geographical distribution," said UNDP resident representative Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmad.
Training for physicians
The MTN Cancer Research Centre will provide training for physicians and nursing staff, communication and patient care nursing courses, and public awareness information. It will eventually provide the country with its first cancer cases map, covering cancer distribution, types and number of cases across Syria.
The UNDP will support the project by coordinating its activities with the UN Global Compact Project team and ensuring the effective participation of all parties.
It will also manage funds and inputs, plan the centre's activities and report the project's progress to the project board.
"We are hopeful this collaboration of efforts will make an outstanding difference and a significant push towards arming the country with the information required, medical expertise and enough resources to control the epidemic and diminish its spread," said Ahmad.
SAinfo reporter
Would you like to use this article in your publication or on your website? See: Using SAinfo material
