Monday, 4 June 2012
Tigran Sargsyan-Led Delegation On Visit To Kingdom Of Belgium
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan-led government delegation started their official visit to Belgium.
First, the Prime Minister visited IBA Molecular Company in Leuven town. The company carries out activities in the field of nuclear medicine and is engaged in the production of equipment: Accompanied by Vice President of IBA Molecular Board of Directors Pierre Motte, Tigran Sargsyan toured the Company, getting acquainted with production processes.
Attended by the Prime Minister, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Armenian Ministry of Economy and IBA Molecular. The document was signed by Minister of Economy Tigran Davtyan and Vice President of IBA Molecular Board of Directors Pierre Motte.
As a result, the National Competitiveness Fund-supported modern oncology center of Yerevan will get technical assistance and Euro 2.5mn-worth equipments through February 1, 2013.
The center is founded based on the memorandum of understanding signed between Armenia’s National Competitiveness Fund and the Belgian Global Medical Solutions. The Center features 3 highly sophisticated units: a laboratory equipped with a cyclotron device for the synthesis of radioisotopes, a diagnostic center strong with a state-of-the-art PET scanner and a clinic where treatment will be carried out.
Modern technologies will be applied for early detection of tumors that will enhance the treatment efficiency and reduce the number of fatalities. It will lead to individual approaches for each patient and will promote the development of nuclear medicine in Armenia.
The Center will be managed by Global Medical Solutions which boasts long a experience in this field with similar centers run in Australia, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. Based on public-private sector partnership, the project will have a total cost of Euro 35mn.
According to statistics, every year some 2 thousand 700 Armenians get disabilities due malignant tumors. The annual economic loss is more than AMD 75mn. Indicators of the disease, the rate of growth that number would double each year is 100 thousand. Population estimates in 1995 that number was 125 cases, and in 2000, 185 cases, today it has reached about 235 cases.
Later today, Tigran Sargsyan will deliver a lecture at the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS). The Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet with European People’s Party Chairman Wilfried Martens at the EPP headquarters. Tigran Sargsyan will next attend EPP’s political conference.
The delegation is composed as follows: Chief of Government Staff David Sargsyan, Acting Minister of Economy Tigran Davtyan, Acting Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, National Assembly Foreign Relations Standing Committee Chairman Artak Zakaryan, National Competitiveness Foundation Executive Director Arman Khachaturyan.
