ISLAMABAD: The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday commended Pakistan’s efforts to tackle cancer through its atomic energy commission, highlighting a nationwide network of facilities and trained professionals and underscoring continued collaboration under the agency’s global health initiatives.
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi visited Pakistan earlier this year in February to review cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, including cancer diagnosis and treatment, along with energy and agriculture.
His engagements in the country included visits to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission’s cancer hospitals and the inauguration of advanced treatment facilities, and discussions with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on expanding work under the IAEA’s “Rays of Hope” initiative, which aims to boost radiotherapy access in developing countries.
“Cancer deaths are expected to rise by 75 percent by 2050,” Grossi said in a video message posted on the IAEA website. “Developing countries are getting hit the hardest. We must do and are doing more.”
“The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, PAC, has established 20 cancer hospitals in the country and trained a fleet of professionals,” he continued, adding that he discussed with the Pakistani prime minister how to widen cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
