TEHRAN — Mahak Hospital has opened a pain management unit, aiming to teach cancer patients ways of coping with their pain.

The unit, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East, was launched on Saturday, the IRNA news agency reported.
The Mahak Society to support children with cancer is a non-governmental organization in Tehran dedicated to helping Iranian children suffering with cancer.

The project was financed by philanthropists, Mahak board members and some doctors, said Arasb Ahmadian, the chief executive officer of Mahak Hospital.

“Mahak is the first pediatric hospital in the Middle East which covers all sorts of cancer,” Ahmadian noted, adding that “in 2013 Mahak ranked 10th among 263 specialized non-governmental organizations of the kind.”

Azim Mehrvar, the director of Mahak Hospital, also mentioned that the hospital includes three different wards, each with 15 beds and fully equipped rooms. The ICU has eight beds. The bone marrow transplant ward with 14 beds is providing children with cancer with special care.

Head of the Mahak pain unit, Farid Qarehdaghi, explained that “one of our priorities is to manage patients’ pain as pain is one of the most common symptoms that a cancer patient would experience.”

“To do so we have utilized various technologies such as ozone therapy and cancer therapy,” he added.

“Pain management will help enhance the quality of life for cancer-stricken children and is now of great significance to doctors,” he said.

MQ