المملكة: President of the Cancer Society told Al-Youm: 20,000 beneficiaries of early detection…and strategic partnerships that serve Eastern patients.

The CEO of Saudi Cancer Society, Issam Al-Jaafari, revealed the final numbers of the annual report for the year 2025, revealing an unprecedented boom in logistical and medical services, as the association broke the barrier of 2.5 million beneficiaries since its founding, achieving a qualitative leap in the concept of comprehensive care.

Al-Jaafari stressed that the association succeeded in addressing one of the biggest challenges facing patients coming from outside Dammam and Khobar, which is “housing,” by providing more than 6,300 free hotel nights within one year, and providing 1,200 transportation trips to ensure that patients reach their treatment appointments.

In a proactive step to support female patients inside their homes, the association provided 1,300 visits to domestic workers “on an hourly basis” to support mothers and housewives during the period of chemotherapy, in parallel with the dispensing of 2,000 medical and prosthetic devices.

The association strengthened its awareness arsenal through a strategic partnership with “Aramco” via mobile trucks For early detection, it contributed to serving 20,000 beneficiaries, while educational programs doubled by 100% to reach 206 programs in 2025.

“Today” met the executive director of the association, and delved with him into the details of the language of numbers, the future of partnerships, and the story of the “Day of Happiness” hall, which turned into an icon for psychological support in the region.. So to the text of the dialogue:

In the beginning, Mr. Essam, we welcome you to your newspaper “Al-Youm”, as you are about to issue the annual report for the year 2025.. Will you put us in a picture of the general scene of this report and its most prominent features?

You are welcome, and may God bless you, at the Saudi Cancer Society. Firstly, allow me to express my gratitude to Al-Youm newspaper, which was and still is a strategic partner and constant media supporter of the non-profit sector and charitable organizations in the Eastern Province.

With regard to the annual report for the year 2025, we are, praise be to God, in the final stages of its preparation, and we will issue it officially within a week from now. The report contains very reassuring numbers and satisfactory results that exceed expectations.

When we reviewed the historical figures of the association since its founding in 2003 as the first cancer society in the Kingdom, we found that the total number of beneficiaries of our awareness, educational, and therapeutic services exceeded the barrier of two and a half million beneficiaries, while digital awareness views exceeded the barrier of 2.7 million views, which reflects the size of the sustainable impact that the association has made in society.

This file represents a top priority for us, and we consider it one of the most important logistical services. As you know, King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Dammam receives cases from various cities and governorates of the region, and many patients do not have the financial ability to live throughout the period of receiving doses or reviews.

Therefore, in 2025, the association strengthened its partnerships by concluding two strategic contracts with two hotels located directly opposite the hospital to ensure easy access. In terms of numbers, this year we were able to serve more than 1,500 beneficiaries (Saudis and residents) in the housing program, providing them with more than 6,300 nights of free hotel accommodation, including all services that guarantee their comfort and dignity.

Certainly, the service cycle is not complete without providing transportation. We have provided a safe transportation service for the patient from his residence to the hospital gate and back, to ensure that no patient misses his treatment appointments due to transportation conditions. In 2025, we recorded more than 1,200 transportation trips, reducing the financial, physical and psychological burden on patients and their families.

Early detection has always been the cornerstone of the fight against cancer. What have you achieved in this path? What is the role of strategic partners like Aramco?

Early detection is our first message, and historical numbers indicate that we have served more than 20,000 beneficiaries in this path since our establishment. But in 2025, there was a different movement with qualitative support from Saudi Aramco, which supported the association with two mobile trucks “mobile clinics” equipped with the latest Screening techniques.

This logistical support enabled us to reach broader segments of society, and contributed to the discovery of many cases in their early stages, praise be to God, which greatly increases recovery rates. Last October, in particular, we recorded record numbers in the number of tests and cases discovered, which confirms the success of the strategy of reaching the beneficiary in his place.

The “domestic worker” service provided by the association caught our attention. Tell us about the philosophy of this service and the extent of benefit from it?

We at the association look at the patient’s suffering from a comprehensive perspective that is not limited to medication only. We have noticed that “housewife” women, while receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy, weaken their physical ability to carry out the duties of the house and take care of the family, which causes them additional psychological pressure.

Hence came the idea of ​​providing the “domestic worker” service on an hourly basis. In 2025, the association provided more than 1,300 visits to domestic workers to help sick women in their homes, giving them the time and comfort needed to focus on recovery, and this is the kind of precise social support that we excel at.

What about medical and prosthetic devices?

This is an integral part of our services. There are needs that are called “luxuries,” but in fact they are necessary for the patient to regain his self-confidence and live his life, such as prosthetic devices and special medical supplies. Through our accredited pharmacies, we dispensed more than 2,000 products and devices during the year 2025, covering patients’ needs accurately and quickly.

Psychological support for patients

Psychological support represents half of the treatment. We heard about the “Day of Happiness” hall. What is its idea? How have your psychological services developed?

Psychological support in the association has made qualitative leaps, whether through traditional channels (telephone calls), virtual ones (remotely), or field visits to clinics. But the most prominent development is the establishment of the “Day of Happiness” hall, in which we are holding this dialogue now.

This hall is not just a place, but rather an integrated healing environment. The idea is to attract “recovered people” and bring them together with “recently ill” and current beneficiaries. When a new patient sees a person who has recovered and returned to his normal life, and exchanges experiences and feelings with him, the psychological impact is enormous.

This is done in the presence of health practitioners and social workers who direct dialogues and provide consultations. We have noticed a direct impact of these sessions in improving patients’ response to treatment and their overcoming the first shock and difficult stages of treatment.

Yes, we believe that spiritual tranquility supports psychological and physical immunity. We have a fixed annual schedule that includes 4 trips to perform Umrah in Mecca, and two visits to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

Last week, we had a delegation in Mecca, and after the month of Ramadan (next Shawwal) we will organize a trip to Medina. In total, we were able to send 279 beneficiaries “with their companions” to perform the rituals, and the association takes care of all the services: accommodation for 3 days, transportation, food, and comprehensive care in which male and female employees from the association accompany them to serve them, so that they return to their homes with their hearts filled with reassurance.

In the language of numbers… How do you compare the size of programs and activities in 2025 to the previous year?

There is very significant growth. If we compare to 2024, we had close to 100 programmes. In 2025, we have exceeded 206 activation and educational programs. These programs varied between attendance in open public places, schools, and complexes, in addition to campaigns through social media, which doubled the scope of health awareness and education in the community.

We are very proud of our generous society. Today, the association’s volunteer database exceeds 25,000 registered volunteers. In 2025, we monitored, through the volunteer hours system, the completion of more than 13,000 volunteer hours, which contributed to reducing operational costs and raising the quality of services.

As for the “success partners,” which are the government and private agencies that believed in the association’s mission, their number increased from 193 partners in 2024, to exceed 216 partners today. This growth reflects the confidence and credibility that the association enjoys with the business sector and official bodies.

A final word for you on “Today”?

All the achievements and numbers that have been achieved are thanks to God first, and the support of His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, and His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, who spare no effort in supporting the association’s progress, then with the presence of an effective and close-to-work board of directors, supportive general assembly members, and a dedicated work team. Let us not forget the unlimited government support for the charitable sector, and our strategic partnerships with major entities such as Aramco and national platforms.

We promise our beneficiaries to continue working at the same pace and more, to achieve our motto of promoting hope and providing comprehensive care. We extend our thanks to you at Al-Youm newspaper for hosting this and highlighting our efforts.