The National Atomic Energy Commission has said it plans to start offering cancer treatment at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar.

The remarks were made by the Commission's director, Prof Idd Kiara, at the launch of the commission's office at Tunguu in Zanzibar South region yesterday.

He said the cancer treatment services at the hospital would save residents of the Isles from travelling all the way to Tanzania Mainland or India for the service.

Prof Kiara said the project had already started.

“If our plans go well, very soon people would be tested and diagnosed for cancer right here in the Isles," said Prof Kiara.

He said the opening of the commission's office would facilitate a number of things, including controlling nuclear radiation from discarded objects as well as their management.

He said his commission would research on nuclear radiations being emanated from industries, hospitals, radio and TV stations.

Prof Kiara said the commission had benefited a lot from cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and challenged scientists in Zanzibar to use the opportunity to conduct different researches in Zanzibar and among the people.

He said there were increasing uses of atomic radiation in the country and that was the reason the Union government had decided that the commission should construct an office in the Isles so as to check radiation.

He said the presence of the commission on the Isles would help to carry out frequent inspections of institutions that make use of equipment that potentially give out atomic radiation.

Speaking soon after the launch, the Zanzibar Second Vice-President Seif Ali Idd said the move to start offering cancer treatment at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital would be a saviour to the people of Zanzibar.

He said this move was one of the benefits of the Union.

“I'm happy to learn that the Atomic Energy Commission has set itself properly to serve Zanzibar and would work closely with the Ministry of Health, particularly in ensuring that cancer gets treated here in the Isles at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital," said Seif Idd.

Earlier, Minister for Communications, Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa Mnyaa said research work was very important in improving the pace of the the country's development.

He said that the Union government had been consistently been increasing the budget for research to improve findings.

Other leaders who took part in the event included Speaker of the Zanzibar House of Representatives Pandu Ameir Kificho, State Minister in the Second Vice-President Office Mohammed Aboud Mohammed, and State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) Vice-Chancellor Prof Idris Ahmada Rai.