ISLAMABAD: Paki­s­t­an was elected a member of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the 21st time since becoming a member of the agency.

The 68th General Conference (GC) brought many laurels and honours for the South East Asian country that are very significant in nature.

Earlier, Nuclear Medic­ine, Oncology and Radio­therapy Institute (NORI), a PAEC-run hospital in Islamabad, earned accolades when its contribution to cancer diagnosis, treatment and sharing of expertise with regional member states, was acknowledged by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

On this occasion, Mr Grossi recalled his visit to the hospital during his tour of Pakistan last year. He said he was very impressed with state-of-the-art facilities at the hospital.

Speaking on this occasion, PAEC Chairman Dr Raja Ali Raza Anwar said: “It is, indeed, a great pleasure for me to address a community which is keen to adopt nuclear science and technology for the socio-economic uplift of their countries.

“Pakistan enjoys a longstanding and mutually beneficial partnership with the IAEA. Cancer is one of the major contributors to non-communicable diseases, causing the death of 0.18 million people annually in Pakistan.”

He said PAEC gives high priority to the application of nuclear technology in the health sector.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2024