CANCER screening and treatment centres using nuclear technology are in the process of being set up with a budget of €59m (169bn/-), the government has declared.

Zanzibar President Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, standing in for President Samia Suluhu Hassan, unveiled this plan yesterday when inaugurating the Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC) office and laboratory in Dunga Zuzeo in the Central District, Unguja South Region.

The plan is intended to enhance capabilities of existing centres like Ocean Road Hospital in Dar es Salaam and Bugando Medical Centre in Mwanza, while also establishing four new centres at the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma, the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, the Mnazi Mmoja referral hospital in Zanzibar and the Mbeya zonal referral hospital, he said.

Once fully implemented, the initiative will expand cancer treatment services using nuclear technology, he said, noting that the TAEC unit in Zanzibar is a significant step towards building a nuclear equipment repository.

The facility will support cancer testing and treatment centres billed for the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital and KCMC,

Nuclear technology could also be harnessed for generating clean energy, providing a sustainable solution to mitigate climate change, particularly in urban centres with noticeably high electricity demand or limited access to alternative energy sources, he said.

Advanced nuclear energy technology is among alternatives for the transition to a carbon-free energy system, he stated, hinting that Tanzania is fortunate to have significant uranium resources, the key raw material

Experts at the Education, Science and Technology ministry need to collaborate with their Energy counterparts and other stakeholders to develop a comprehensive strategy for Tanzania to fully benefit from nuclear energy, he said.

The new offices will enable the agency to improve oversight and facilitate the safe use of nuclear technology, as TAEC offices and infrastructure will strengthen the safe application of nuclear technology.

The facility will similarly promote research and innovation, and foster the use of nuclear science in various sectors of national development, he stated, hailing the Union government for setting up the office.

The relevant authorities in Zanzibar worked to ensure the provision of land and essential infrastructure like road link as well as electricity and water connection, he said, pointing at the health sector as the sphere of the primary use of nuclear technology in the country.

Key centres of Ocean Road, Aga Khan, Bugando, Besta Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital already conduct nuclear-based cancer treatment, he said, praising TAEC for completing the second phase of the large laboratory project (integrated nuclear science and technology laboratory) in Arusha, expected to be the largest of its kind in East Africa and the wider region.

Omar Kipanga, the Education, Science and Technology deputy minister, said that investing in nuclear technology infrastructure and equipment is meant to ensure its effective management and sustainable exploitation.

Ahmed Nassor Mazrui, the Health minister for Zanzibar, remarked that the newly built facility aligns with the Zanzibar authorities’ vision for the Binguni and Mnazi Mmoja referral hospitals.

It is intended that they start using radiation technology for MRI, X-ray and CT scan medical interventions, he said, assuring the public that TAEC was working closely with the relevant departments to achieve key health sector objectives.