Nearly 60 years have passed since Albania initiated what has become a fruitful, productive relationship with the IAEA. IAEA experts and counterparts in Albania have succeeded in broadening national access to cancer care, improving plant productivity and air quality, building capacities for environmental protection and establishing the necessary radiation safety infrastructure. With an eye to the future and the opportunities it will bring, Mr Artur Lama, Director of the Minister of Health’s Cabinet, signed on 1 April 2016, on behalf of the Minister of Health of Albania, H.E. Mr Ilir Beqaj, a fourth amendment to a pre-existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the IAEA and the Government of Albania. The amendment was also signed by Mr Martin Krause, Director of the Division for Europe.
Originally signed on January 31, 2005, the Memorandum of Understanding was developed with the aim of providing a comprehensive framework for cooperation between the Government of Albania and the IAEA, with an exclusive focus on the field of human health. The MoU was signed in support of efforts to upgrade the radiotherapy and nuclear medicine services at the Mother Tereza Hospital, the only public sector cancer care facility serving the country’s 2.9 million inhabitants
