Health care services in the Republic of Moldova are being upgraded under IAEA technical cooperation projects designed to improve diagnostic and treatment services. At a ceremony in Chisinau this month, the government´s cancer institute received equipment valued at more than US $150,000 for computed tomography, often called CAT scanning, that radiologists use to more easily diagnose signs of cancer and other serious disease.
Moldova´s President Vladimir Voronin attended the ceremony and said the IAEA´s support was especially important given the special attention his country places on the medical institute and its significance for the entire health system. The new equipment contributes to the country´s prime health care objectives, he noted.
Cancer rates are rising in developing countries, and about 8 000 new patients are diagnosed with cancer annually in Moldova. Computed tomography uses special x-ray equipment to obtain image data from different angles around the body. It then uses computer processing of the information to show a cross-section of body tissues and organs. CT can clearly show several types of tissue-lung, bone, soft tissue, and blood vessels. CT allows radiologists to more easily diagnose problems such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, trauma, and musculoskeletal disorders.
Moldova is an active participant in the IAEA´s Technical Cooperation Programme for the European region. Alongside national projects, Moldova is among 20 European countries engaged in an IAEA regional project on quality assurance and control in radiation oncology. Participants are meeting at the IAEA in Vienna in late January 2005.
For more information, check the web pages of the IAEA on technical cooperation in Europe (see Story Resources).