/ / News
06.11.2013

Japan promises continued assistance with Chernobyl alleviation in Belarus

BREST, 5 November (BelTA) – The Japan government will continue rendering aid to Belarus residents for the sake of alleviating consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. The statement was made by Charge d’Affaires of Japan in Belarus Shigehiro Mimori as medical equipment was presented to the Brest Oblast Endocrinology Center on 5 November, BelTA has learned.

“No other nation can understand Belarusians better than the Japanese. We have recently had a nuclear power plant accident and we are now trying to minimize its consequences. A lot of our specialists come to Belarus in order to learn the best practices to handle radiation. We are grateful for the invaluable aid we get here. Therefore, no matter what the Japan government will not cease the program for grant-based aid to your country,” stressed Shigehiro Mimori.

As part of the Japan government’s program for rendering aid to population safety projects via grants the Brest Oblast Endocrinology Center has been granted $100,215 for buying an ultrasound scanner Aloka ProSound Alpha 6. The high-definition equipment is designed to diagnose thyroid pathologies. The Brest medics explained the difference between the new equipment and what they had been using until then for the Japanese diplomat.

Head Physician of the Brest Oblast Endocrinology Center Artur Grigorovich explained that “the new device sees what we didn’t see in the past. It will improve the diagnostic reliability of our examinations. Special puncture attachments will enable better precision for thyroid sampling. We will be able to detect diseases at an early stage”.

Head of the Healthcare Office of the Brest Oblast Executive Committee Svetlana Krapivina said that the oblast has several scanners of the kind. However, it is the first time such equipment will be used for diagnosing endocrine pathologies. “The very cooperation with Japanese specialists is unique for us. This interaction, experience and information sharing allow us to work out new approaches to diagnosing and treating the pathologies, which are challenging Belarusians and the Japanese,” noted Svetlana Krapivina.

Every year up to 200 thyroid cancer cases are registered in Brest Oblast, with about 3,500 people registered so far. Various endocrine pathologies have been registered in nearly 70,000 Brest Oblast residents.

The delivery of the ultrasound scanner to the Brest Oblast Endocrinology Center was the 27th project in Belarus and the second project in Brest Oblast that has been implemented within the framework of the grant-based aid program of the Japan government. A total of over $2.3 million has been allocated by Japan for this program. The money has been used to buy equipment for healthcare institutions located in Chernobyl-affected areas (in Gomel Oblast, Mogilev Oblast, and Brest Oblast) as well as for specialized health centers.