UICC’s President in MAHAK

The visit of Professor M. Tezer Kutluk from MAHAK Hospital and Research Centre is one of the most prominent news of MAHAK this August.

Being the president-elect of Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) as well as having a long term experience of NGO management in the roles of UICC-Board Member and being the president of Turkish Association for Cancer Research and Control from 2004 to 2012, are among the significant career achievements of Prof. Kutluk, M.D., Ph.D. who graduated from Hacettepe University Medical School, Turkey in 1981.

During his stay, August 4-5, he visited every ward of MAHAK hospital, took part in the daily oncology morning report meeting, and visited pain management and other auxiliary clinics, research sub-department, advanced imaging facilities, bone marrow transplant ward, and laboratory facilities.  To gain a comparative perspective, he also visited Mofid Children’s Hospital oncology ward and had constructive discussions with the management of that organization.  During his visit he recited studies that have ascertained close correlation between all services provided under one roof and higher chance of recovery.  In addition to this, close cooperation between the medical team and support services specialists including social workers and psychologists in MAHAK was also underlined as one of the key points resulted in more effective treatment process and lower mortality rate in MAHAK.  The same rationale applies to residential capacity to house not only out-patient cases but also families of hospitalized children who have come from every corner of Iran in search of best treatment for these loved ones.

One important discussion during his stay was exploring the possibilities of initializing a twinning project on improving Childhood Cancer Registries in Iran.  As cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, having data to help us understand the burden is the first essential step for effective cancer control planning.  Accurate and complete data collected by cancer registries are essential for improving patient care, efficient use of health programmed funds and driving new research.  His additional suggestion that on the basis of its relative success, MAHAK should expand its international presence and visibility is among MAHAK’s near future planning strategy.

The presence of such prominent individuals in MAHAK provides the opportunity to share knowledge and experience, discuss best practice methods undertaken in the two environments, and improve the quality of therapeutic and general medical services in support of children suffering from cancer.

We thank Prof. Kutluk for his visit and earnest discussions both congratulating MAHAK for its unique accomplishments as well as sharing the social, medical, and legal experiences of a life dedicated to making a significant difference in societal responsibilities toward childhood cancer.