First Saudi female colorectal surgeon to address Arab health conference in Dubai

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Friday 15 Jan 2016 - 13:48 Makkah mean time-5-4-1437 Riyadh, (IINA) - The first Saudi woman in colorectal surgery, Dr. Samar Al-Homoud, will address the Arab Health Surgery Conference in Dubai, which will be held from January 25 to 28, Arab News reported. “Colorectal cancer is considered the second most common cancer in Saudi Arabia. It’s the most common cancer among men and third most common among women”, she said on Tuesday. According to Al-Homoud, many colorectal cancers could be detected through regular screening, which is “crucial because when found early, colorectal cancer is highly curable”. She noted that she will participate in the panel “colon cancer screening: why is it necessary for Arabia-Gulf countries?” “The panel will focus on early cancer detection programs in the Gulf states and why it’s necessary to establish screening programs”, she said. Dr. Al-Homoud added that cancer screening plays a pivotal role in the strategic planning of health care policy, and can significantly influence a patient’s life if the cancer was detected at an early stage. “The panel will see the contributions of doctors from the region, and I hope that through this discussion we can address the challenges we currently face”, she said. She also expressed hope that the discussion will help in starting work for future collaborations, planning as well as implementing screening programs. “These screening programs, if supported by an increase in public awareness about colorectal cancer, will improve the standard of care for patients”, she said. Asked why there’s lack of Saudi women in the field of colorectal surgery, she said that it’s not easy. “The field of surgery is not easy, locally and internationally, with a lot of challenges and difficulties”, she said. She added that “the specialty of colorectal surgery is a rare one and that there aren’t enough Saudi female surgeons in this area and the disease has not yet received sufficient attention in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world”. “I would like to mention here that during the training, I was the only doctor who completed it. My colleagues withdrew and went on to other specialties”, she said. Al-Homoud is a consultant colorectal surgeon at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh. AG/IINA