JERUSALEM, Wednesday, July 03, 2019 (WAFA) - Cancer patients from the Palestinian territories will be treated by a new modern diagnosis apparatus at East Jerusalem’s Augusta Victoria Hospital financed by Germany and the Islamic Development Bank, according to a press release.

Under the auspices of Christian Clages, the German Representative in Ramallah, Hani Abu Diab, Special Advisor to the Islamic Development Bank, the CEO of the Augusta Victoria Hospital, Walid Nammour, and the representative of the Lutheran World Federation, Lennart Hernader, the new PET/CT scanner, which allows modern cancer diagnosis, was officially inaugurated today.

Clages appreciated the valuable work Augusta Victoria Hospital is doing, providing exemplary specialized medical care to Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip: “Today’s inauguration is good news. With this specialized system, the hospital will significantly expand its diagnostical program and hereby both help cancer patients and improve cancer prevention. Especially against the current difficult financial background, Germany, is very happy to contribute to the strengthening of the Palestinian health sector.”

August Victoria Hospital, managed by the Lutheran World Federation, is a center of medical excellence in East Jerusalem, serving the five million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. As one of the six hospitals in the East Jerusalem Hospitals Network, Augusta Victoria offers specialized care not available in other hospitals in the West Bank and Gaza, including radiation therapy for cancer patients and pediatric hemodialysis.

The PET/CT system, which is a combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and X-ray computerized tomography (CT), is not only able to exactly localize tumors, but also allows statements to be made on the characteristics of the tumor.

Germany contributed an amount of $1,2 million for this important diagnostic device. The Islamic Banc contributed some $400.000.

M.K.