A. Lukashenko considers early diagnosis to be the most important area in the development of cancer care

October 26, Borovlyany / Vladimir Matveev - BELTA /. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko considers early diagnosis to be the most important area in the development of cancer care. The head of state announced this today during his visit to the National Research Center for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, a BELTA correspondent reports. "Why let the disease lead to a dead end, only to struggle out of it later," the President said, addressing the Director of the National Research Center Olga Aleinikova. He stressed that where necessary, the authorities should "pull out all the stops" to create conditions for examination and early diagnosis of cancer, primarily in children. "Children should not die," Alexander Lukashenko emphasized. "This is our main task, and here we must do everything - spare neither money nor construction. Children are issue number one." The head of state asked Olga Aleinikova what else needs to be done in the country for effective fight against cancer. According to her, much has already been done in recent years, and domestic medicine in this area is among the top ten countries in Europe. The only thing needed, in the opinion of the Director of the National Research Center, is the acquisition of a positron emission tomograph (PET), which is very important for early diagnosis of diseases. The cost of this equipment is about 6 million euros, and only one such device is needed for the entire republic. As reported to the President, it is planned that this problem will also be resolved in the near future. Speaking about the successes achieved in Belarus in the fight against cancer in children, Olga Aleinikova noted that when she started in oncology more than 30 years ago, the average life expectancy of a child with cancer was about a month. Now, almost 75% of children with this terrible disease are completely cured. The director of the center also said that a 100-bed boarding house is planned to be built near the National Research Center soon, where parents of young patients will live. The head of state approved this idea, emphasizing that parents should have the opportunity to be close to their children. Speaking about the development of medicine in general and cancer care in particular, Alexander Lukashenko noted that money should be accounted for, directed where it is needed today, and priority projects should be financed. The President of Belarus visited several departments of the National Research Center, the operating room, and communicated with patients and their parents. He also inspected the playroom, where children were having classes with teachers at that time. Thanks to individual training, after recovery, children can not only lead a full life but also return to their class. Two laptops, donated to the National Research Center on behalf of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, are installed in the same playroom. The laptops will provide children with an additional opportunity to communicate with their parents via the Internet. During his visit to the National Research Center, Alexander Lukashenko also spoke with a young woman who received treatment at this institution several years ago and has fully recovered. Annually, up to 5,000 patients receive highly qualified medical care at the center. -0-