Web desk: Pakistan has reaffirmed its determination to strengthen cancer care by expanding treatment services, training medical professionals, and working with international partners.
The commitment was highlighted at a side event of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna, titled “Beyond Boundaries: The Rays of Hope Anchor Centres Network and the Future of Cancer Care.”
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Dr Raja Ali Raza Anwar, noted that cancer remains one of the country’s most serious health challenges, with over 180,000 new cases reported every year.
To help meet this challenge, PAEC has set up 20 cancer hospitals across Pakistan, where highly skilled doctors and specialists provide care to more than 80 per cent of patients nationwide.
These hospitals offer modern diagnostic and treatment facilities either free or at subsidised costs, supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3 on health and well-being.
Dr Anwar explained that Pakistan is also an active partner in the IAEA’s “Rays of Hope” programme, sharing knowledge, expertise, and training with other developing countries under South-South Cooperation, in line with SDG 17 on partnerships.
He pointed to a landmark in 2023, when Islamabad’s Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute (NORI) was recognised as an IAEA Anchor Centre.
NORI not only serves the local population but also treats patients from neighbouring countries, with advanced equipment such as the CyberKnife, the first installed in Pakistan’s public sector.
Since becoming an Anchor Centre, NORI has expanded its role in teaching, research, and quality control. It has hosted three international hybrid seminars, each joined online by over 500 participants, and continues to engage in global research platforms such as the MD Anderson courses.
Dr Anwar also mentioned the use of Virtual Reality Headsets, supplied by the IAEA, to improve training in cervical cancer treatment.
In closing, he stressed that Pakistan will continue to work closely with the IAEA and other international partners to ease the global cancer burden and to strengthen the “Atoms for Health” agenda.
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