The much awaited Cancer Radiotherapy Machine is expected in the country at the start of August, one and half years since the breakdown of the only other machine.
The Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Hon. Dr. Joyce Moriku, told Parliament that the consignment is expected at Mombasa on 28th July, 2017.
“Installation will then commence and is anticipated to take four to six weeks if all goes well. Following the successful installation, acceptance tests will be carried out for one week by the International Atomic Energy Agency,” said Dr. Moriku.
The Minister said that following the breakdown of the Radiotherapy Teletherapy Machine in March last year, government invited the IAEA to assess the bunker’s suitability to house a new cobalt machine. She said that this was identified as the quickest way to restore the services instead of construction of new bunkers.
She said that in May 2016, the IAEA sent a mission, assessed the bunker and recommended that the bunker be refurbished with new air conditioning fitting for it to receive a new cobalt machine and source for tele-radiotherapy.
Refurbishment of the bunker was completed in April 2017 before final inspection by the IAEA in May 2017.
“Authorisation to process the nuclear has been requested from the Atomic Energy Council. Commissioning and service reestablishment is expected to be completed by the first week of November,” said Dr. Moriku.
She added that full time clinical usage of the radiotherapy machine will commence in the first week of November.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, asked the Minister to return to inform Parliament when the machine arrives in the country. She also asked the Parliament Committee on Health to follow up the issue.
