Internal health problems that needed surgery in the past are made to be treated more efficiently with nuclear medicine. The patient may inhale, swallow, or be injected with a radioactive tracer. (See WHO diagnostic imaging). After taking the substance (the tracer), the patient will normally lie down on a table, while a camera takes pictures.
The camera will focus on the area where the radioactive material is concentrated, and this will allow a physician to get real images of internal body organs that need treatments, as the area’s experts say. PET/CT (“Doctors use PET scans to get more data about how body organs are functioning,” according to CDC).
This type of imaging is particularly helpful for diagnosing thyroid disease, gall bladder disease, heart conditions, and cancer. It can also help diagnose Alzheimer disease and brain conditions. The treatment started in Ethiopia at the country’s largest teaching hospital, Black Lion Hospital, back in 1979. Students get education on this area ever since, Dr. Solomon Demena, Nuclear Medicine Head at Addis Ababa University said in an event organized to mark the signing of bilateral cooperation on Nuclear Medicine made between the Hospital and China Isotope and Radiation Corporation.
Some 6,818 students pursued their education over the stated years. But due to inaccessibility of modern equipment and expertise, the service provision has been far from being satisfactory. Hence, many people have found it hard to get the services while a few of them, who can afford the hiking expense, go oversees to receive treatments.
“Many patients go crossing over see for the diagnosis and to get treat from their illness for CT-scan and surgery, after a year the use of early traditional surgical method would be disappearing and replaced by nuclear medicine.”
The current MoU signing and the ensuing assistance would help enhance the service provision, both its accessibility and quality. School of health Sciences has planned to expand nuclear medicine services in the country within the next five years, Dr. Hagos Tesfaye, Nuclear Medicine Unit of the University said.
He also adds that the Ministry of Health has also planned to expand local training in the field of nuclear medicine and while establishing radiotherapy centers in Ethiopia in major hospitals across the country.
On the occasion, Prof. Song Gao Vice President of China Isotope and Radiation Corporation, said the Bilateral Cooperation on Nuclear Medicine would surly facilitate the service provision in addition to fostering the transfer of technology and knowledge in the area. “Chinese will work together in the issues of nuclear medicine and radiotherapy, share their knowledge and train physicians ….”
The PET/ST scan would come in Ethiopia and the cancer patient would get the fastest services with latest technology equipment.” One among the benefits the cooperation is deemed to bring is regular medical equipment maintenance. Despite the few number of the equipment, lack of experts and expertise that could fix the machines has long been a pressing problem in the country, as it was hinted.
To expand the services, training centers ought to be established across the country. And the promised centers that would take shape in major hospitals needs to come to realization. That is why such cooperation agreements would become pivotal to the country. Sustainable and quality service provision cannot come to fruition without toiling to transfer the technology, however. In this regard, the Ministry of Health and teaching hospitals and colleges have great role to play.
The Ethiopian Herald, June 14/2019
BY MISGANAW ASNAKE
