The Cairo Children's Cancer Hospital has a vision that extends far beyond the simple delivery of healthcare and uses art as part of therapy, as Ghada Abd El-Kader discovers Six months have passed since the opening of the Cairo Children's Cancer Hospital (CCHE), a project that epitomises Egyptians' collective effort to provide free treatment for those in need through making charitable donations. The hospital, known as "57357" after the number of its bank account to which donations can be sent, now treats some 760 patients, 40 of whom are from Arab countries. Built on half the allocated plot of land in the Sayeda Zeinab district in Cairo, leaving the other half free for gardens, the hospital's unique design stands out from its surroundings like a ship of hope. Its beauty is reflected inside the hospital, which is a comfortable place for parents, while at the same time providing high-quality treatment for children with cancer. "We are trying to make the hospital look like a big toy, or a cheerful place for children, because cancer is a very cruel disease for them," says Sherif Abul-Naga, director of Academic Affairs, Research, Training and International Outreach at the Hospital, as well as professor of paediatric hematology and oncology at the National Cancer Institute at Cairo University. Healthcare professionals now recognise the importance of art and a hospital's environment for patient therapy, and the CCHE has established an art committee to develop a theme for the hospital's interior. Designed to foster discovery and learning among the children, this has been developed to help encourage them to treat a diagnosis of cancer as a "Voyage of Discovery" and learning. A theme and a colour has been chosen for each floor, the blue aquamarine basement floor being a discovery underwater, the green ground floor a discovery through travelling, and the red first floor a journey of amusement and sport. Blue is the dominant colour as the children enter the second floor, suggesting a journey of imagination. The third floor, dedicated to science and nature, is green. From the safari in yellow of the fourth floor to the orange of the fifth floor that explores music and dance, the children reach the journey of hope in the future represented by the purple- coloured sixth floor. Future plans include painting the walls in a creative way, with 300 artists from the Faculties of Arts and Applied Arts and sponsored by 41 embassies hoping to participate in this upcoming project. To raise funds for the hospital and enhance the use of art, an international exhibition organised by artist Mohamed Hemedah, recently took place inside the main entrance. Twenty per cent of the proceeds of any paintings sold have been dedicated to the hospital, and many of the 40 Arab artists that showed their works have agreed to donate all their proceeds. A miniature art workshop was held for children, artists encouraging the little patients to express themselves through themes of love, peace and brotherhood. The artists enjoyed the exhibition and related activities as much as the children did, artist Dalia El-Sherbini expressing her feeling of joy at having "an opportunity to do something for these children, even it if is only helping to put a smile on their faces." However, Hemedah, whose sister died of cancer, has a bigger plan than just raising a smile, and he is organising "a two-month tour of Sharm El-Sheikh, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, to raise more funds for the hospital," which, he hopes, will attract wide media coverage. The hospital will always be in need of funds, Abul-Naga explains, since "annual operating expenses are between LE150 and LE180 million. Capital in the bank provides LE23 million, but the rest we have to collect from funds and donations." The hospital is being promoted in various ways without affecting its reputation or patients. A cooperation agreement has been signed between the CCHE and the Health Insurance Authority, for example, allocating the hospital LE24,000 to cover part of the cost of treatment of school children already insured by the government who are affected by cancer. This agreement could help to finance around 20 per cent of the annual operating costs of the hospital. The government medical insurance system also sends patients to the CCHE, paying half of their expenses. During the recent visit of the first lady of Turkey, Mrs Hayrunnisa Gul, to Egypt, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak invited her to visit the hospital and attend the inauguration of the construction of the cyclotron and PET/CT scan building. A cyclotron produces the radioactive isotopes necessary for PET/CT scanning equipment, a scan by the latter not only helping doctors to diagnose a problem, but also helping them to predict the likely outcome of various therapeutic alternatives, pinpoint the best approaches to treatment and monitor the progress of the patient. Egypt now owns what is only the second PET/CT facility in the Middle East. Abul-Naga explained that this sophisticated equipment allows the early detection of cancer and the possibility of changing the course of treatment at the right time, thus increasing chances of remission and reducing the cost of treatment from some LE7,000 to 3,000. The equipment cost $8 million, which was donated by the Sheikh Zayed Charities in the UAE. Egyptian companies donated their skills to the design of the buildings at a cost of LE6 million. The work of those trying to provide funds for the hospital is reflected in the hopes of the little patients and their families, as is stressed by the father of a five-year-old child suffering from lymphatic cancer. "The services in the hospital are very good, the nurses treat us in a friendly way, and we don't pay anything for treatment," he says. Making the children feel at home is the task of many staff, as has been noticed by the father of six-year-old Abdel-Rahman, who was diagnosed with leukemia some weeks ago. "He has a passion for computers," Abdel-Rahman's father says, "and we were able to install his home computer in his hospital room. Now he is entertained and feels that he is not far from home." Nihal, mother of 13-year-old Shaimaa who also suffers from leukemia, has noticed that her daughter is getting and feeling better. "I have to say that the medical treatment is very good and efficient," she says. The CCHE has 800 doctors and nurses for inpatients, as well as 26 outpatient clinics that care for 150 patients a day. The hospital opens its doors to sick children aged up to 18, on the condition that they are referred to the CCHE by a medical institution and have not been treated elsewhere, in order to avoid confusion on the use of specific treatment protocols. Thanks to its computer system, the hospital is able to keep statistics and a thorough database that constitutes a reliable paediatric cancer registry. As part of the institution's development as a research centre, this system will allow the effective delivery of proper healthcare and the assessment, evaluation and synchronisation of patient and hospital data for the efficient conduct of operations. The Social Fund for Development, headed by Hani Seif El-Nasr, in cooperation with the CCHE, aims to disburse some LE2.5 million in grant money to provide specialised training for all categories of staff. Training has begun on a variety of topics such as nursing skills, communication skills and leadership, as well as on computer skills, different treatments and the use of the start-of-the-art equipment. "We took English and computer courses at the American University in Cairo, in addition to nursing courses and time-management classes and programmes on the relationship between the patient and the nurse," says Sanaa Abdel-Aziz, who graduated from the Nursing School of Assiut University. Abdel-Aziz is proud of what she has achieved in the course of a year and a half at the hospital. "I spent more than 14 months training in chemotherapy at the hospital," she says, "and I am really good when it comes to patient care." Her colleague, Radwa Mahmoud, who started working at the CCHE five months ago, shares the same enthusiasm. "I have learned a lot since I started working here," she says. "Nurses used to work like machines, but after learning about different attitudes and behaviour, I have changed, and I now know more." The doctors' support in overcoming old behaviour has also proven successful, since "they explain everything to us, which is great too." The hospital now has many plans for the future. Since only one parent is currently allowed to stay overnight with a child receiving treatment, it has decided to build a new guest house to serve families who have come long distances to the hospital from various parts of Egypt and the Arab world. Two renowned international authorities in children's brain-tumour treatment from the DANA Farber Cancer Institute and the Harvard University School of Medicine in the United States are helping establish a new brain-tumour treatment and research programme. Thanks to cooperation between the CCHE and the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, a North American consultant in paediatric oncology, will also assist the hospital in treating critical cases. As well as the international standards in healthcare that the hospital is able to deliver and its training and research activities, the CCHE also has a mosque, a chapel, and a team of psychologists "who have the ability to communicate with anyone", Abul-Naga says. He is proud to be able to say that, "CCHE 57357 is a haven for children with cancer regardless of their race, religion or financial status." For more information visit the website, www.57357.com, or contact the call centre 19057 inside Egypt, +(202) 25351500 worldwide.
