The Regional Secretary for Health revealed today that the projects in the area of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine are moving forward with the purpose of providing "comfort" to patients, who will no longer need to leave the Azores to receive treatment.

With the implementation of these projects, "patients will no longer need to leave the Azores to receive treatment and we intend that the treatment process be carried on a complementary basis within regional Health Units," stated Luís Cabral. The government official spoke to journalists after being heard by the Committee on Social Affairs of the Legislative Assembly of the Azores in Ponta Delgada.

Luís Cabral stressed that the Azores Radiotherapy Centre is pending approval by the Ponta Delgada City Hall, adding that the works have a completion period of one year, that is, "treatments will begin 12 months after the start of the works."

The Regional Secretary for Health stated that the Radiotherapy Centre will boost the interaction with health units, allowing the treatment process to be carried out on a complementary basis, always with the quality stipulated nationally and internationally in accordance with the defined ratios.

As for Nuclear Medicine, the Regional Secretary revealed that a unit will be installed on the island of Terceira "by early summer."

Luís Cabral said that these "two private initiatives" are supported by the Incentive Scheme for the Regional Development of the Azores (SIDER) and were classified by the Government as Projects of Regional Interest.