Patients suffering from breast cancer in Georgia will have better chances to detect the disease earlier, as the country starts to offer cancer screening services free of charge as part of its national Cancer Screening Programme. The IAEA, through its technical cooperation (TC) programme, is supporting these efforts by strengthening the diagnostic capacities of the National Screening Centre in Tbilisi.
The National Screening Centre is responsible for the implementation of the Cancer Screening Programme, and for providing cancer screening services to the target population. The programme, mainly funded by the Municipality of Tbilisi, includes breast, cervical, colorectal and prostate cancer screening. IAEA support is being provided in the form of digital mammography equipment which were delivered in March 2018, and training. This will increase the Centre’s capacity to detect breast cancer at an early stage and will contribute to reduce mortality in the target population.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano visited the Screening Centre on 17 April 2018. He was met by Maia Bitadze, Deputy Mayor of Tbilisi and Gela Chiviashvili, Head of the Municipal Department of Healthcare and Social Services.
Eter Kiguradze, Director of the National Screening Centre and Tamar Skhirtladze, Head of the Medical Department noted the importance of the IAEA support to the screening programme.
The IAEA is also providing support to Georgia through the TC programme for the development of a radiation medicine education and training strategy, and is working with national authorities to improve treatment of oncological diseases, manage radioactive waste and strengthen the regulatory infrastructure for nuclear and radiation safety.
