News / Nuclear Energy

Iran to build mega nuclear medicine hospital

Sunday, 10 May 2015 1:06 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 11 May 2015 12:21 AM ]

IAEO chief Salehi says Iran will build largest nuclear medicine hospital in Middle East.

Iran said on Sunday that it will soon start the construction of a specialized nuclear medicine hospital which will be the first of its kind in the Middle East.

Ali-Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said the hospital will be constructed in capital Tehran.

“It will be a very vast project and will be equipped with facilities that will make it a unique hospital in the Middle East,” Salehi told reporters.

“Once operational, Iranian patients suffering from rare diseases will no longer have to travel abroad to seek treatment. Besides, Iran will have a new attraction in terms of medical tourism,” he was quoted as saying by Fars news agency.

Salehi further described the planned hospital as one of AEOI’s most important projects, adding that the Organization has already provided a certain amount of the total budget of about $35 million.

Iran’s nuclear chief added that the hospital will be equipped with a variety of machines to provide radiotherapy services to patients and that different types of centrifuges will also be installed in the complex.

He emphasized that the main objective of the project will be to promote the application of radioisotopes in Iran and also to enhance the standards of radiotherapy equipment across the country.

Iran already has 150 nuclear medicine centers across the country that provide services to over one million patients each year. Iranian officials had previously repeatedly emphasized that using nuclear technology for medical purposes is a key objective of the country’s nuclear energy program.

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