General Oncology Care in Bahrain

Abstract

AbstractThe Kingdom of Bahrain is a small island nation with the highest health care and life expectancy comparable in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has a small population, but a higher incidence rate of cancers in GCC countries. Two public (government) oncological facilities are available in Bahrain for cancer patients, mostly for Bahraini citizens. The majority of the consultants in medical and radiation oncology are expatriates and there is a need for locals to get trained in these faculties. With changing lifestyles, obesity, and the genetic factors peculiar to this ethnic population, the incidence of cancer is bound to rise over the years to come. Health-related policy decisions to join the international organizations for clinical trials will bring in more research and better cancer care, apart from increasing more facilities for palliative care. The scope of this chapter is to provide an overview of the current information about the cancer status in Bahrain, including epidemiology, statistics, and facilities of care.