Shafaq News- Diyala
More than 6,400 cancer cases have been recorded in Iraq'sDiyala Province, with patient numbers continuing to rise, a member of theDiyala Provincial Council said on Tuesday.
Aws Al-Mahdawi said at a press conference that the growingnumber of cases requires a serious response from government authorities to curbthe worsening health crisis.
Existing landfill sites located close to residentialneighborhoods, along with other sources of pollution, pose environmental andpublic health risks. Al-Mahdawi called for relocating landfill sites away frompopulated areas, adopting modern waste management methods, strengtheningenvironmental monitoring, and conducting field studies to identify and addresspollution sources.
Iraq had more than 200,000 cancer patients, with over 39,000new cases recorded in 2022 and annual diagnoses expected to increase by 5–7%.Patients continue to face shortages of specialized treatment centers,diagnostic equipment, and essential medicines, while environmental pollutionhas been repeatedly cited by officials and experts as one of the factorscontributing to the growing burden of disease.
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