Santa Cruz (Bolivia), September 23. The president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, inaugurated this Friday the second nuclear medicine and radiotherapy center that will help treat cancer patients, and highlighted the agreement with Argentina for an exchange of experiences between professionals from both countries in this institution.
Arce came to the Pampa de la Isla neighborhood in the city of Santa Cruz together with the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of Argentina, Daniel Filmus, the executive director of the Bolivian Nuclear Energy Agency (ABEN), Hortensia Jiménez, the Minister of Hydrocarbons and Energies, Franklin Molina, the opposition mayor Jhonny Fernández, among others.
The Bolivian president highlighted the importance of this center to “save lives” and detect cancer in a timely manner, so that it can also be treated effectively with state-of-the-art technology.
Arce said that he is “a survivor” of cancer, which he suffered in 2017 that was treated in Brazil, and argued that early detection of this disease is important, but also its treatment.
In the same way, he highlighted the agreement that the country has with Argentina to prepare the doctors who work in this center and that there be an exchange of experiences between professionals from both countries.
“We know that we can count on friendly countries,” he stressed.
In addition, he said that this delivery is a “gift” to the eastern department of Santa Cruz for its 212th anniversary.
Meanwhile, the Argentine minister emphasized the actions carried out by the Bolivian government to make health “available to everyone.”
For his part, Minister Molina stressed that this nuclear medicine center has state-of-the-art equipment, the most “advanced in South America.”
He explained that the investment was 50 million dollars and that it has tomography equipment, linear accelerators, a brachytherapy area, chemotherapy, oncology pharmacy, offices, among others.
Meanwhile, the opposition mayor Fernández thanked the Government for this delivery and pointed out that the best tribute to Santa Cruz is “with works” and that “political pettiness” is over, while he was applauded by the public.
This center was given as a “gift” for Santa Cruz, the most prosperous department in Bolivia, which celebrates its 212th anniversary on Saturday.
In addition, the Vice Ministry of Communication will present a short film called “Esperanza” that tells stories of the fight against cancer, regarding this inauguration.
The first nuclear medicine center was delivered this year in the city of El Alto, this is the second and they plan to deliver a third center in the Achumani neighborhood in La Paz.
The center in El Alto has already served more than 5,000 people, said the Bolivian president.
In 2017, the Argentine state company Invap was awarded the construction of three nuclear medicine centers with an investment of some 165 million dollars.