Sochi, Russia, February 14, 2019 – On the sidelines of the Russian Investment Forum ROSATOM’s company – JSC Rusatom Healthcare (an integrator in the field of radiation technologies in medicine and industry) - and GE Healthcare signed a roadmap to create local productions of high-technology medical equipment to cater growing need of residents of Russia’s regions in high quality medical diagnostics and cancer treatment.
The document was signed by General Director of JSC Rusatom Healthcare Aleksandr Shibanov and President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Healthcare in Russia/CIS Nina Kandelaki. The document was signed in the presence of First Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Sergey Tsyb.
The roadmap signed today defines joint actions for year and half to localize PET/CT in Russia to have an opportunity to further expand the product list. Before 2020 it is planned to start assembling MRI scanners to plan beam therapy (CT for RT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and combined single-photon emission CT scanners. The document provides for setting a working team, development of a licensing agreements package, servicing conditions and quality management programs. It also defines dates and procedure for design of the production site in accordance with the specifications, quality standards of GE Healthcare, ROSATOM’s Production System and Russian regulations.
According to General Director of JSC Rusatom Healthcare Aleksandr Shibanov, for ROSATOM, the creation of the new productions of high technology diagnostics equipment in Russia is the issue that lies not only in the business plane but in the plane of social responsibility. He said: “The project will be implemented in accordance to Order No. 204 of May 7, 2018 ‘Concerning national goals and strategic tasks of Russia’s development until 2024’. The goal of this project is ROSATOM’s participation through JSC RHC in the national project ‘Health Care’ in 2019-2024 as a supplier of X-ray diagnostic and therapy equipment produced in Russia to fit Russian health care centers. Therefore, the future production will become a new driver of growth for Russian medical industry through stage-by-stage deepening of localization and development of domestic production of components.”
“The development and implementation of innovations in cancer diagnostic is the key area of investment for GE Healthcare. For 10 years already we have implemented complex projects in the field of oncology in Russia and actively participate in nuclear medicine development. The agreement we signed today is first of all an important step for development of innovative medical equipment production in Russia and will facilitate solving most important tasks of Russian health care: access to high quality medical treatment and reduction of fatalities because to cancer,” Nina Kandelaki, President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Healthcare in Russia/CIS, noted.
For information:
Today, the technology of positron emission tomography (PET/CT) is one of the most actively developing ways of detecting malign tumors and controlling efficiency of treatment of cancer. The uniqueness and advantages of PET/CT diagnostics are comfort and safety of the patient as well as the possibility to obtain most complete data on functioning of individual organs and tissues of the body at early stages of disease detection. The studies report that today Russia has only 0.36 PET scanners per 1 mln of the population while in Europe it is 1.1, in Japan – 3.7 and in the USA – 7.11.