OREANDA-NEWS. February 14, 2008. The program is supposed to help to fight cancer and other deadly diseases, says the head of the agency Valentin Uyba.

The program is to be implemented in 2010–2015 and stipulates the construction of four centers for nuclear medicine in Dimitrovgrad (Ulianovsk region), Tomsk, Yekaterinburg and Dubna (Moscow region). The program will require big money, particularly, the construction of the center in Dimitrovgrad will cost 26bln RUR, the construction of the center in Tomsk – 34bln RUR.

The project in Dimitrovgrad will be the cheapest as that city has a number of enterprises producing radio-isotopes for nuclear medicine and a big medical center. Besides, the building of the future center is almost ready.

Uyba says that the construction of the center in Tomsk will be the next stage of the program.

"We are planning to open the center on the basis of Tomsk Nuclear Physics Institute and its existing projects and technologies," says Uyba.

Russia has never had centers for nuclear medicine. Some of local hospitals use some nuclear technologies, particularly, neutron irradiation, positron emission tomography, brachytherapy, open and closed types of nuclear therapy, etc.

The four centers will embrace all existing nuclear medicine technologies. Particularly, positron emission tomography allows to study metabolism in brain and to plan neurosurgery.

The centers will help doctors to more effectively fight cancer. Nuclear technologies will help them to carry out complex operations on brain, liver and lungs. 

"The federal target program for the development of nuclear medicine is part of the general program for the development of health care in Russia till 2020. It is aimed at enhancing life expectancy and improving the quality of life," says Uyba.