Two senior oncology specialists from the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre have helped transform breast cancer services for women living in Gaza.
Advanced Nurse Practitioner Gerry O’Hare and Consultant Clinical Oncologist Dr Abdulla Alhasso have worked to establish the region’s first dedicated breast cancer service and introduce multidisciplinary care.
They have also trained and mentored local teams, travelling to Palestine on numerous occasions in their own time, and helping to arrange placements in Scotland for students to expand their skills and knowledge.
Breast cancer is a major health issue for women globally, but severe restrictions on resources, training and treatment mean women in Gaza often experience significantly poorer outcomes.
Gerry and Abdulla worked side by side with Palestinian colleagues to reshape how breast cancer services are delivered.
Working with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and local clinicians, they established a multidisciplinary breast cancer team modelled on the approach used in NHS Scotland which brings together surgeons, nurses, oncologists and other specialists to review cases weekly.
They also supported the centralisation of breast cancer and oncology services into a dedicated unit, creating the first specialist team in Gaza focused solely on breast cancer patients.
This specialist, structured service, which did not previously exist in Gaza, has been strengthened by student placements, enabling clinicians from the West Bank to develop expertise that was impossible to access locally.
Gerry and Abdulla’s work has extended beyond clinical care. They’ve spoken at academic cancer conferences in the region that have helped prompt the introduction of a new undergraduate oncology module at the local university and medical school.
They’ve also established a breast cancer patient database to support evidence‑based improvements in diagnosis and treatment.
All of their efforts have been carried out voluntarily and in their own time, on top of the work they do for patients in the west of Scotland at the Beatson.
Gerry and Abdulla have dedicated a combined 20 years to supporting cancer services in Gaza.
This long‑term humanitarian collaboration was recently recognised when they received the Global Citizenship Award at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Celebrating Success Excellence Awards.
They were also named as finalists in the same category of the Scottish Health Awards in November.
Dr Abdulla Alhasso said: “As a doctor, I believe the core principle of our work is humanity.
“We care for people wherever they are, and we bring the values of NHS Scotland – compassion, dignity and evidence‑based practice – to colleagues and patients in Gaza.
“Women there are not only suffering from breast cancer; they are suffering the injustice of restricted access to care and restricted opportunities for their clinicians to train.
“Our role is to stand in solidarity with them and support a system that allows them the same chance of survival as women anywhere else in the world.”
Gerry O’Hare said: “For me as a nurse, this work is about human beings supporting other human beings.
“These are women living in some of the most challenging conditions in the world due to the political and humanitarian pressures in the region.
“We learn as much from our colleagues in Gaza as they learn from us, and despite extraordinary pressures they continue to deliver care with professionalism and courage.
“What we are doing together is building a sustainable breast cancer service. At its heart, it is about fairness, dignity and the belief that people deserve the best possible care regardless of geography or circumstance.”
