Works on creating radioisotope-processing Center in Armenia are close  to be finished

ArmInfo. Works on creating radioisotope-processing Center in Armenia are to be finished. The first, diagnostic component of the project is finished, all the  facilities are practically installed, Armenian Health Care Minister Levon Altunyan stated.

According to the Minister, the importance of creating the Center is  in providing accessibility of Armenian nationals and guests of the  country to the latest achieved services of radiation medicine.   "Unique facilities are installed in the Center: medical cyclotron  thanks to which there will be a chance to produce radio  pharmaceutical products based on receiving isotope fluoro (F18) for  early diagnostic of cancer research illnesses and for improvement of  their timely treatment methods based on best practice of nucleate  medicine", the Minister said. He stressed that scientific-research  works will be implemented, including at the base of Physics Institute  named after A. Alikhanyan, where the Center is located. 

To note, radioisotope processing Center will become the main part of  the project of creating National Center of  excellence in cancer  research area for the complete work of which is necessary to use the  second curative component of the project. The most up-to-date  facilities will be purchased and installed produced in Russia, Israel  and in a number of European countries. According to Arthur Rostomyan,  the director of the Center, the obvious viable  plus of Armenian  Center from similar clinics in the region, including in neighbor  Georgia, is its personal isotope producing, which reduces noticeably  the cost of treatment, and result the increase of accessibility to it  the nationals. He informed that 2.2 bln AMD have been invested in the  Center's creating since 2011.

To note, Armenian Parliament in Dec 2016 adopted modifications in the  privatization project of the state property items. The changes  stipulate the privatization of the Center on radioisotope processing,  which is at the balance of Health Care Ministry of Armenia, related  with the absence of financing. This contradicts Armenian legislation.  There is only one limitation in law on "Peaceful use of nuclear  energy", related to outspent nuclear power and radioactive waste,  which are exclusively state property.