NORI Cancer Hospital gets IAEA 'Anchor Centre' status
At a signing ceremony held in Vienna Pakistan’s NORI has been designated as an Anchor Centre. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Pakistan's Nuclear Medicine, Oncology, and Radiotherapy Institute (NORI), located in Islamabad, has been designated an "Anchor Centre" under the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) "Rays of Hope initiative".
This occasion was marked by a signing ceremony held in Vienna during the 67th Session of the IAEA's General Conference.
The Anchor Centre Agreement was officially signed by Dr Raja Ali Raza Anwar, Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), representing Pakistan, and Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director-General of the IAEA.
Anchor Centres are specialised cancer treatment facilities chosen to collaborate closely with the IAEA in providing expertise and support within their respective regions. These centres are integral to the IAEA's Rays of Hope initiative, which strives to assist member states in strengthening their capabilities in radiotherapy and multimodality medical imaging.
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As part of their role, these designated Anchor Centres will offer training opportunities, conduct courses for healthcare providers, engage in IAEA Coordinated Research Projects, facilitate networking, and provide mentorship and expert guidance to other radiotherapy and medical imaging facilities in their regions.
Alongside Pakistan, agreements designating Anchor Centres were also signed with cancer institutes from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Turkey during the ceremony.
Within the country’s healthcare sector, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) has been a pioneering force, utilising nuclear and advanced techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and related diseases. The PAEC plays an active role in national cancer awareness, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment programmes.
NORI, one of the 19 cancer hospitals run by PAEC and established in 1983 in Islamabad, stands as a state-of-the-art facility and is Pakistan's sole fully-fledged tertiary care cancer hospital, dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients.
Equipped with cutting-edge technology, including CyberKnife, NORI represents a significant step forward in the fight against cancer in Pakistan.