Jamaica taps IAEA support to expand cancer care services

GENEVA, Switzerland: Jamaica is set to receive technical support from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the Government moves to expand cancer care services across the island over the next two years.

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton made the announcement following a technical meeting with the Vienna-based agency on the margins of the 79th World Health Assembly currently under way in Geneva.

According to Tufton, an IAEA technical team will visit Jamaica in the coming months to assess the country’s existing cancer treatment infrastructure and outline a programme for expansion.

The visit will include an evaluation of the linear accelerator (LINAC) facilities located in Kingston and Montego Bay, which are used in radiation therapy for cancer patients. The team is expected to develop a road map for upgrading these centres and to examine the feasibility of establishing an additional facility, potentially in central Jamaica.

The planned engagement is also expected to support efforts to increase access to mammography services across the public health system. This will include assessing the possibility of extending these services beyond hospitals to select health centres.

Tufton noted that strengthening human resource capacity will be a key component of the initiative. Training for healthcare professionals, including radiographers, is expected to form part of the IAEA mission.

The minister added that the Government has requested that the agency incorporate measures to address the maintenance and servicing of specialised cancer treatment equipment, an issue that has affected service delivery in the past.

The World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, is being held from May 18 to 23, bringing together global health leaders to discuss pressing health issues and policy responses.

Caption: Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton. Contributed