World Cancer Day is being marked on February 4. On this day I would like to draw your attention to the fact that cancer is preventable and by doing regular medical check-ups, screening, prevention of risk factors and vaccination programmes, which are of the outmost importance, these diseases can be successfully avoided or cured. By taking good care of one’s health, at the same time one is taking care of one’s loved ones. Your good health is necessary for a better life and the wellbeing of your families.

My humanitarian Foundation in Belgrade, ever since it was established in 2001, has been active in raising awareness on the importance of preventing, treating and fighting cancer and this is one of its most important goals for the future as well as providing medical equipment for cancer treatments. 

In 2017 only, the total value of medical equipment donated by my Foundation reached over $2,000,000. This year we are going to deliver new sterilizers in value over $1,400,000 for hospitals in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Leskovac and Kraljevo. A state of the art digital mammography machine valued over $300,000 was donated to the Clinical centre Nis. During previous years we have donated 1 mobile unite digital mammography valued over $750,000 to Clinical Centre Nis that examined more than 100.000 women all around Serbia in last few years. We donated many mammography units, among several others to UHMC Bezanijska Kosa and Jagodina Hospital and several ultrasound machines for breast examinations.

We have also provided training for two doctors in Germany with Professor Reiss from Tubingen Clinic, to work on DNA sequencer for gene testing. DNA sequencer for hereditary cancer testing valued over $110,000 which was donated by my Foundation to the Institute for Oncology and Radiology allows simultaneous analysis of multiple genes and multiple samples of patients, which enables efficient testing of hereditary predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer and other malignant diseases and significantly shortens the time of analysis. There are many vehicles we have donated to the Hospitals for transportation patients on treatments for malignant diseases and monitors for children on cancer treatments.

My humanitarian Foundation in Belgrade works with Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York and MD Anderson in Houston Texas, which are the two leading USA cancer centres, to provide specialised trainings for our radiologists and oncologists so that they can have the latest knowledge and during the last five years with great effort my Foundation sent more than twenty Serbian doctors to complete those trainings.

We are very proud of our cooperation with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Harvard Medical School affiliate in Boston. Donation of two patient monitors for the children’s department to the Clinic of Neurosurgery at the Clinical Centre of Serbia worth over $ 21,000 was a result of fundraising at the charity dinner in Boston. This charity event was organized with a great help by our friends from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

We are also working on education of our doctors and connecting them with colleagues from the diaspora by organizing Serbian Medical Diaspora Conferences every year and Oncology Conferences every other year.

On this occasion I wish to emphasize my sincere admiration and gratitude to all our medical professionals in Serbia for their extraordinary work and contribution. I hope that we will all work together for the ultimate benefit of our citizens’ health.

HRH Crown Princess Katherine