Eastern Province Cancer Society Report 2025: 2.5 Million Beneficiaries and High-Quality Services
In a move that reflects the great development witnessed by the non-profit sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in line with the goals of Vision 2030 in enhancing the quality of life and health care, the Saudi Cancer Society in the Eastern Province revealed record numbers included in its annual report for 2025. These numbers do not reflect mere statistics, but rather tell stories of human success and tireless efforts to alleviate the suffering of patients and their families.
A boom in logistics and medical services
The association’s executive director, Essam Al-Jaafari, unveiled the main features of the annual report, confirming that the association has broken the barrier of 2.5 million beneficiaries since its establishment in 2003. This achievement comes as a culmination of a long journey of giving, as the year 2025 witnessed a qualitative shift in the concept of comprehensive care that goes beyond drug treatment to include psychological, social and logistical support.
Al-Jaafari explained that the association successfully addressed one of the biggest obstacles facing patients coming from outside the cities of Dammam and Khobar: the problem of accommodation. Through strategic partnerships with hotels near treatment centers, more than 6,300 free hotel nights were secured in one year, benefiting 1,500 patients and their companions, thus ensuring the continuity of their treatment without financial constraints.
Integration of transportation and home care systems
The association's efforts didn't stop at providing housing; they extended to securing transportation to ensure patients arrived on time for their appointments. In 2025, the association recorded over 1,200 safe transport trips between the patient's residence and the hospital. In a unique humanitarian initiative that considered the circumstances of female patients and housewives, the association provided 1,300 hourly visits from domestic workers to support mothers during chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments, thus alleviating their domestic burdens and giving them the rest they needed for recovery.
Strategic partnership with Aramco for early detection
Early detection is the cornerstone of cancer control and improving recovery rates. In this context, the association strengthened its awareness efforts through a strategic partnership with Saudi Aramco, which provided the association with mobile units equipped with the latest screening technologies. This logistical support enabled the association to reach wider segments of society, serving 20,000 beneficiaries in the early detection program and achieving record numbers of screenings during the month of October.
"Day of Happiness"... an icon of psychological support
Believing that psychological well-being is a crucial part of the treatment journey, the association developed its psychological services through the "Day of Happiness" hall. This hall has become a therapeutic environment where recovering patients and new patients come together to exchange experiences and share hope, under the supervision of specialists. The association also continued to organize Umrah trips and visits to the Prophet's Mosque, benefiting 279 patients and their companions from these spiritual journeys that promote tranquility and strengthen patients' psychological resilience.
The power of volunteering and community partnerships
The report concluded by highlighting the pivotal role of volunteers, as the volunteer database exceeded 25,000 registered volunteers who contributed more than 13,000 volunteer hours in 2025. The number of success partners from the government and private sectors also increased to 216 partners, reflecting the high level of trust that the association enjoys in the community, and the unlimited support that the Emirate of the Eastern Province gives to charitable and humanitarian work.
