Healthcare | Tuesday 17 May, 2016 12:36 pm |

Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP) has called on companies and institutions to join its ‘I Deserve a Life’ campaign during the Holy Month of Ramadan. The humanitarian initiative from the Sharjah-based patient and family support group aims to collect alms (Zakat) from individuals and organisations to pay for treatment for cancer patients who cannot afford it themselves.

 

To highlight the importance of the campaign, which runs until the end of Ramadan, I Deserve a Life campaign teams visited a number of government authorities and private sector institutions in Sharjah, providing those they met with an insight into how they can participate in it. They also discussed with officials at the government organisations the Islamic Sharia Laws that govern the initiative.

 

Dr. Sawsan Al Madhi, Director General of FoCP, said; “The I Deserve a Life initiative aims to extend hope to cancer patients by covering the expensive medical treatment costs for those who lack financial means. All members of the community are humbly requested to join our efforts and maximise the number of beneficiaries of this important campaign.” 

 

Dr. Al Madhi stressed that donations will not be limited to companies and institutions when the initiative is launched during the Holy Month of Ramadan, but will also be open to individuals. She pointed out that all segments of the Emirati community have interacted with the campaign during its previous three editions, revealing the generosity of citizens who have shown their keen desire to help the deprived and to provide for those most in need. She said that the high level engagement with the campaign reflects both the awareness within the community about cancer patients in the UAE and their willingness to help them as much as they can.

 

Al Madhi clarified that donation to cancer patients can also be done throughout the year via different platforms. Supporters can give money by sending an SMS with the word ‘Life’ to 4425 (Etisalat or Du) to donate AED 10. Money also can be deposited directly into FoCP’s official bank account at the main branch of Sharjah Islamic Bank: 001-364854-0030 (International Bank Account Number ‘IBAN’: AE890410000030364854001)

 

The Sharia Law that governs the I Deserve a Life initiative is based on an official Fatwa given by the Permanent Fatwa Committee in the Emirate of Sharjah. The declaration approved covering medical treatment costs for the poor and the deprived using the Zakat Fund under two conditions: firstly, that it is only used when patients cannot afford to pay the costs themselves and secondly, that the financial aid provided covers treatment only. The Fatwa is the basic framework within which the I Deserve a Life initiative functions and FoCP and its teams are committed to its terms.

 

Launched by FoCP in 2013, the I Deserve a Life initiative is a humanitarian campaign that functions during the Holy Month of Ramadan.