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Mulago ready for health application
At Mulago, doctors are ready for the official launch of the radiotherapy machine at the cancer insitute this week.
UCI doctors showed the press the new radiotherapy facility in November and revealed they will be able to treat up to 100 patients daily, over three times compared to previously.
They also revealed UCI has started the process of procuring the Linear accelerator which will be in the new bunker. The new machine is closely comparable to a Linear accelerator.
In addition, six new bunkers are currently under construction and these will house four state of the art linear accelerators and two brachytherapy machines. The long term plan is to develop Uganda Cancer Institute into a regional centre of excellence for cancer management.
What is Radiotherapy ?
It is applied by a team of qualified experts with the appropriate education and many years of experience in radiation oncology, medical physics and radiation therapy technology.
Radiotherapy can be delivered externally or internally. In external beam radiotherapy, radiation beams originating externally to the patient are directed towards the treatment site.
These beams are usually created through the use of a linear accelerator or a cobalt unit. In brachytherapy, small and encapsulated radioactive sources are placed directly into or near the volume to be treated. Endovascular brachytherapy, finally, is used for prevention of restenosis in arteries following coronary arterial angioplasty.
UCI celebrating 50 years in style
The arrival of the Radiotherapy machine is timely, as last year, the Uganda Cancer Institute celebrated 50 years of service.
The institute was started on August 8, 1967 and month-long celebrations are being held by UCI.
One of the events to mark 50 years saw the launch of a book on the history of UCI on August 18, 2017.
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PROF OLWENY #UCI50: More to celebrate than mourn at Uganda Cancer Institute https://t.co/7XQuEDQOpj pic.twitter.com/p3mw6K0p1O
— The Independent (@UGIndependent) August 19, 2017
