IAEA Director-General visits Cuban health institutions

HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 23 (ACN) The General Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Yukiya Amano visited the facilities of the National Oncology and Radiobiology Institute and checked on the equipment donated by the entity.

The equipment is a superficial therapy X-ray for the treatment of skin cancer, main illness in Cuba donated by Amano during his previous visit to Havana in 2013.

Luis Curbelo Alfonso, Director of the Cuban Institute thanked Amano for the donation and support of the UN entity since the 1980´s when the island received the first Gamma chamber, said specialists of the Nuclear Energy and Advanced Technology Agency, AENTA.

The IAEA official also visited the first PET/CT installed in Cuba; a nuclear energy technology which is a hybrid integrated by a PET scan and a CT.

The equipment allows the study of metabolism in humans through tridimensional images.

Amano and delegation also visited the cryotron complex constructed at the Hospital of Research Medical Surgery Center, CIMEQ.

He received a detailed explanation of the national program in the fight against cancer and the role of the IAEA was recognized in the training of human resources that is vital for the program´s objectives.

The Director of CIMEQ, Manjuel Cepedo Nogueiras reiterated the commitment to continue cooperating in the preparation of specialists in Latin America and the Caribbean in the field.

The General Director of IAEA, was also welcomed by the Director of the Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute, Jorge Perez who presented the main results of the institution in the fight against Ebola and dengue.

Amano was previously welcomed by Cuban First Vice President Miguel Diaz Canel-Bermudez and by the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Elba Rosa Perez Montoya.

Amano was accompanied by Luis Longoria, Director of the Latin American Division of the IAEA's Technical Cooperation Department. The delegation concluded their visit to Cuba on Tuesday and his next stop will be Brazil.