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IAEA honors Kuwait Cancer Control Ctr for accomplishments

Kuwaiti Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Sadeq Marafi during the ceremony
Kuwaiti Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Sadeq Marafi during the ceremony

By Abdelwaheb Al-Gueyed

VIENNA, Nov 30 (KUNA) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday honored Kuwait Cancer Control Center (KCCC) in recognition of its distinguished efforts in nuclear medicine, thanks to the use of the latest therapeutic and diagnostic techniques in this field.
In an official ceremony held at its headquarters in Vienna, the agency lauded the KCCC as an outstanding center of fruitful cooperation between the two sides.
IAEA's Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation Dazhu Yang delivered Kuwaiti Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Sadeq Marafi and Health Ministry's assistant undersecretary Fawaz Al-Refaie the agency's plaque in recognition of big efforts made by the KCCC.
Ambassador Marafi said that it was the first honoring in its kind, and a new and unique achievement of Kuwait that shows fruitful and constructive cooperative relations between the agency and Kuwait in this field.
"It is an honor for me to dedicate this international accolade to His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince, the government and the Kuwaiti people as an additional achievement to Kuwait," he told KUNA.
He noted that the country has made several accomplishments in various fields, and this enhances its regional and international status.
In a similar statement to KUNA, Al-Refaie said the Ministry of Health's strategy works on backing medical centers and hospitals through appointing professional staff and using technical equipment to cope up with international standards.
The strategy's results have been shown on international level due to regional and international dependence on the KCCC, he added.
He referred that the ministry has unlimited ambitions to be prominent in all fields.
For her part, head of KCCC Dr. Kholoud Al-Ali said the honoring reflects fruitful cooperation between the agency and Kuwait mainly in the nuclear medicine.
She pointed out that the nuclear medicine department of KCCC has been selected to be a regional training center for Arab countries in the Asian region.
This step stresses technical and scientific efficiency of Kuwaiti staff that boosts the country's position, she said.
Furthermore, head of nuclear medicine department Fariha Al-kandari said it has been a pioneering section, since its establishment in 1968, in diagnostic and therapeutic services through using radioactive materials.
She noted that the department includes specialized units like the unit of radioactive materials, the unit of nuclear medicine physics and the central storage of radioactive waste.
More than 8,000 patients benefited from the department's services last year, she made clear.
Dr. Nader Al-Awadhi, Kuwait liaison officer with IAEA, said honoring the center is evidence of several experiments and progresses made by Kuwait is this field.
This honoring establishes a start of a key scientific cooperation between the institutions and the centers of nuclear medicine in Asia through the current cooperation between Kuwait and the agency, he said.
"The IAEA has great experience and we hope it would have a bigger role in the future." Established in 1968, KCCC has several sub-centers containing 200 beds that offer services for cancer patients across the country. (end) amq.hm