Côte d'Ivoire to Open First Nuclear Medicine Center in West Africa

 Côte d'Ivoire will open the first nuclear medicine center in West Africa to combat cancer, announced First Lady Dominique Ouattara.

The announcement of the center's opening was made during a visit to Abidjan by the Director General of the European Institute of Oncology, Alexander Rochette.

"Mr. Rochette arrived to announce the upcoming opening of the European Center for Nuclear Medicine in Abidjan. This center, the first of its kind in West Africa, will be equipped with a cyclotron and a PET scanner — advanced technologies essential for the diagnosis and monitoring of oncology and other diseases," Ouattara stated.

According to the First Lady, this will be an important step in modernizing the country's healthcare system, accelerating early disease diagnosis, and enhancing treatment capabilities, transforming Côte d'Ivoire into a regional hub for nuclear medicine.

She also reported that an agreement had been reached to strengthen the partnership between the European Institute of Oncology and the Children of Africa Foundation, including covering diagnostic costs for patients.

In November of last year, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko visited the South African NuMeR nuclear medicine research center as part of studying advanced South African experience in the field of nuclear medicine.