As in most of the other sectors, the science related to health and medicine has been witnessing an explosion of technology in the last few decades, offering easy and less expensive cure to several illnesses. With the help of technology, modern medicine has been able to provide novel treatments and support to several people giving them a new hope in the quality of their life.
Qatar has been avidly adopting modern technological advances in every field possible to improve efficiency of the services the state provides to the citizens and residents and the country has been quick to introduce newest available equipment, advanced medicines and technology in the country. Today, Qatar is known for the quality and efficiency of its healthcare which everybody could experience during the coronavirus pandemic.
Recently, Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwair inaugurated a set of new services in the field of nuclear medicine at the Clinical Imaging Department at the National Center for Cancer Care and Research of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), reflecting HMC’s commitment to international standards to provide the best services related to clinical imaging, which will help early diagnosis of diseases and faster treatment.
The services include a second Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanner, a second hybrid imaging SPECT/CT Scanner, a Positron Emission Mammography imaging, a Radio Pharmacy Laboratory and a Nuclear Medicine Therapy Unit. The launch of the new services reflects HMC’s focus on commitment to make the quality of services it provides better with best available advancements in medicine and care.
The launch of the new services will considerably reduce waiting time, improve the quality of provided care and in turn will improve the results obtained by the patient. It will especially help in the diagnosis of cancer, cardiovascular and neurological diseases with accuracy.
Nuclear medicine is a specialised area of radiology that uses very small amounts of radioactive materials or radiopharmaceuticals to examine organ function and structure. Nuclear medicine imaging is a combination of many different disciplines, including chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer technology and medicine.
As X-rays pass through soft tissues such as that of intestines, muscles and blood vessels, these tissues are difficult to visualise on a standard X-ray without ingesting a contrast. In nuclear technology, an ingested radiopharmaceutical (tracer) is absorbed by a particular organ or tissue may indicate the level of function of the organ or tissue being studied, the difference being while the diagnostic X-rays are used mainly to study anatomy, nuclear imaging is used to study organ tissue function. The nuclear imaging will help avoid several explorative surgeries for diagnostic purposes. Qatar is not only making such kind of latest advancement in health care, but the country is offering the services and best-in-class treatment for all citizens and residents, which still remains a dream in most part of the world.
