International Workshops

Middle Eastern populations share many of the same health challenges facing other low- and middle-income nations. Cancer, as other chronic diseases, is and will increasingly remain a major health challenge. To face this inevitable challenge, a collaborative regional effort is required in order to achieve desirable solutions. Local health organizations working together can play an important role in creating a motivating stimulus to promote such change, transcending political, cultural and ethnic borders.

Today, over 70% of all cancer patients in Middle Eastern countries see a physician for the first time when the tumor has already reached stage III or IV and is no longer operable. The only treatment left is palliation. However, clinicians delivering palliative care in situations of political conflict characterized by enmity and violence confront challenges that include the disruption of medical infrastructures, distrust and suspicion.

Against all odds, the Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC), founded in 1996, has succeeded in promoting cooperation through a major health initiative that builds trust by respecting cultural sensitivities, social cohesion, agency-government relationships, and accountability to the individual communities. Ultimately, such cooperation can highlight effective peace-building roles for health professionals in regions of conflict.
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MECC Sponsored International Workshops - Palliative Care

  1. Lyon, France, January - 1997
  2. Larnaca, Cyprus, February - 2004
  3. Lyon, France, March - 2004
  4. Larnaca, Cyprus, February - 2005
  5. Amman, Jordan, March - 2005
  6. Ankara, Turkey, April - 2005
  7. Izmir, Turkey, April - 2005
  8. Izmir, Turkey, May -2005
  9. Istanbul, Turkey, March - 2007
  10. Larnaca, Cyprus, June - 2007
  11. Ein Gedi, Israel, December - 2007
  12. Larnaca, Cyprus, June - 2008
  13. Larnaca, Cyprus, May - 2009
  14. Istanbul, Turkey, April - 2010
  15. Larnaca, Cyprus, June - 2010
  16. Baqa El Gharbia, Israel, May - 2011
  17. Ankara, turkey, April - 2012
  18. Amman, Jordan, June - 2012
  19. Muscat, Oman, February - 2013
  20. Ankara, Turkey, September - 2013
  21. Ankara, Turkey, April - 2014
  22. Ankara, Turkey, November - 2014
  23. Muscat, Oman, March - 2016