ASTANA – A $15.4 million nuclear medicine centre to help better diagnose patients with early stage cancer will be built in Aktobe by the end of the year.
Photo credit: compassoncology.com
“The medical centre will offer positron emission and computer tomography using radioisotope drugs that help identify tumour cells in the early stages. The treatment of patients will be carried out under a strict control. The new centre is being built under the public-private partnership,” Head of region’s Health Department Asset Kaliyev said, inform.kz reports.
Early diagnosis of cancer will save thousands of lives of Kazakhstan citizens. According to Kaliyev, approximately 1,400 cancer patients at different stages of the disease are diagnosed every year in the Aktobe region.
“Last year, we provided 333 high-tech medical services, including 11 liver transplants and 32 kidney transplants. This year, we plan to implement more than 600 high-tech services,” Kaliyev said, adding that the region’s medical cluster set a course for using high technologies.
According to Chief Oncologist of the Healthcare Ministry, Director of Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Oncology and Radiology Dilyara Kaidarova, the oncological service of the country keeps improving. In his recent state-of-the-nation address, the President focused on the need to develop a comprehensive plan to combat cancer and introduce scientific oncological centre.
“For me, as a doctor, it is very important that Nursultan Nazarbayev pays great attention to the healthcare system. One of the main tasks set by the President is a first-class healthcare system and a healthy nation. Highly effective early diagnosis and treatment of cancer should be provided on the basis of international best practices,” she said.
The Healthcare Ministry adopted Densaulyk (Health) State Development Programme for 2016-2019, which calls for a phased development of oncological services, palliative care and rehabilitation of patients.
According to the statistics, more than 36,000 Kazakhstan citizens are diagnosed with cancer every year; of them 15,000 die from this disease.
“The treatment of oncological diseases is completely free in the country. The patients are provided with expensive medications, implants, artificial limbs and targeted therapy. This is an unprecedented measure of the state in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). However, every Kazakhstan citizen should be responsible for his health and annually undergo screenings and lead a healthy lifestyle,” she added.
At present, there are three types of voluntary cancer screening for citizens: breast cancer screening for women from 40 years, cervical cancer screening for women from 30 years and colorectal cancer screening for men and women 50 years of age and older.
