Expatriate cancer patients in Dubai have been told they will have to pay for life-saving chemotherapy from next month.
Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is scrapping the currently free treatment from May 3. After that date, cancer sufferers, even those mid-way through a chemo course, will have to pay about Dhs15,000 per session.
The move stunned patients at Dubai Hospital - the only public hospital to supply the treatment - who said they received less than three weeks notice of the U-turn.
Father-of-two Abraham Samuel is battling lung cancer and will now need to find in the region of Dhs60,000 to complete his final four treatments.
Speaking from a hospital bed, the 49-year-old said: "The treatment in Dubai is great but this sudden change has left
us all in a very serious situation.
"My next chemo is meant to be in the first week of May. I was just told I will be paying from then on. I don't know what I will do and there are many other people in this situation," the Indian expat added.
Cancer is not always covered by medical insurance as it is often classified as a pre-existing condition, which means patients will need to foot the bill.
Chemotherapy treatment will still be free for UAE nationals.
A prominent oncologist slammed the DHA's cost-cutting decision and called for legal reform to support all those in the country suffering from the deadly disease.
The Emirati doctor said: "The problem is that we still don't have a system that includes a law stipulating everyone must either have personal or company medical insurance. People come to our country to work and then we don't look after them properly."
Chemotherapy is still available free of charge in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
"It's what we'd call in England a 'Postcode Lottery'," said patient Anthony Forester-Bennett, who has an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
The Brit, who has lived in Dubai for ten years, added: "I have to keep going with the treatment. If I went back to the UK, I'd be looking at a waiting period and that could change the outcome of the treatment."
Cancer remains one of the UAE's biggest killers, although no up-to-date or complete figures have been gathered by government health authorities.
No one at the DHA was available for comment.
After receiving the devastating news that they have cancer, sufferers of the disease have to battle to stay strong and positive. But in two weeks' time, patients will also have to fight a financial crisis as free chemotherapy is scrapped in Dubai.The vital treatment is currently offered to all residents, without charge, by Dubai Health Authority (DHA) via public hospitals.
But this is about to change for expats.
Cancer patient Anthony Forester-Bennett was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2008. Earlier this year, he was told it had become more aggressive and he must have chemotherapy. He told 7DAYS: "It was explained that DHA would cover the costs of the chemotherapy. I would still have to pay for biopsies, scans, consultations and medication.
"Until a couple of years ago, all such medical treatment was covered by the DHA. Changes introduced a year or two ago mean that the only cancer treatment now covered by the DHA is chemotherapy. But from May 3, no cancer treatment at all will be covered by government hospitals."
Forester-Bennett has six more sessions before the course that could save his life is complete. The father-of-two said: "It is common sense, surely, that changes in policy like this should be announced in time for those who have started a course of treatment to complete their course before the changes come into effect. My chemo sessions are every three weeks and you can't afford to have a break in them."
Chemotherapy involves drugs administered orally or via a drip. Each patient has their own requirements, which means costs vary, but begin at about Dhs15,000 per session.
Dubai-based oncologist Dr Houraya Kazim, a breast cancer specialist, works with Friends of Cancer Patients UAE and says many people will find themselves affected by the changes. She said: "Friends of Cancer Patients does try to help people who have problems funding treatment but it is very difficult. Everyone has their own set of circumstances and reasons why they need extra support. Sometimes patients may need up to 12 or 16 sessions or maybe some might need a whole year's worth of treatment. That is very, very expensive."
She added: "It's notoriously difficult for people with cancer to be covered by insurance but one way to help would be to insist continuity of cover when a person changes jobs, for example."
The change affects expats only - UAE nationals will continue to receive free treatment.
Despite repeated requests for information, the DHA has so far not told 7DAYS why the current system is being scrapped or why patients were given such short notice.
nichola.jones@7days.ae
Chemo: the facts
How does chemotherapy work?
Chemotherapy drugs can stop cancer cells reproducing. As the drugs are carried in the blood, they can reach cancer cells anywhere in the body. They are also taken up by some healthy cells. Healthy cells can repair the damage caused by chemotherapy, but cancer cells can't and eventually die.
Is the treatment the same for everyone?
Different chemotherapy drugs damage cancer cells in different ways. If a comb-ination of drugs is used, each drug is chosen because of its different effects.
How does it impact on healthy cells?
Healthy cells in certain parts of the body are especially sensitive to chemotherapy drugs; these parts of the body include bone marrow, hair follicles, mouth lining and the digestive system.
How often do patients have it?
Chemotherapy is usually given as a series of sessions of treatment. Each session is followed by a rest period. The session of chemotherapy and the rest period is known as a cycle of treatment. A series of cycles makes up a course. Each session of chemotherapy destroys more of the cancer cells, and the rest period allows the normal cells to recover. Some patients need a year of sessions.
When is it used?
It can be used on its own for lympho-mas and leukaemias or before surgery or radiotherapy to shrink a cancer that is large or attached to healthy tissue. It may also be used after surgery when there is a risk cancer could return.
© 7Days 2011
