The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Varian vice President Whitman (centre) introduces a comany official when he met President Museveni. PHOTO PPU
President Yoweri Museveni has said that Uganda will pay for new cancer radiotherapy equipment and also provide a grant to Varian Medical Systems Global Government to train young Ugandan professionals in cancer and oncology treatment.
The president was meeting Andrew Whitman the Vice President Varian Medical Systems Global Government, a leading company in cancer and oncology radiation and cancer treatment equipment worldwide. The meeting in New York, where the president attended the UN General Assembly, was also attended by Dr. Diana Atwine, the director of the health monitoring unit of State House.
Varian Medical Systems are the worlds leading manufacturers of radiotherapy and radiosurgical devices and software treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, protontherapy and brachytherapy
“Uganda will pay for the cancer machines and also provide a grant to Varian Medical Systems to train young Uganda professionals on their use. What is important is to recruit young people and send them on government sponsorship for bio-medical training,” Museveni said.
The president was responding to a proposal by Mr. Whitman on how to finance and procure such equipment, which he said is very capital intensive.
He congratulated Museveni for rehabilitating and equipping the cancer institute at Mulago Hospital to deal with the increasing cases of cancer.
According to the Fred Hutchinson cancer research center at Mulago Hospital, Uganda with a population of over 37 million people has one of the highest rates of cancer in the world. The two hardest hit groups are children under the age of 12 and middle-aged adults.
