During the visit, Deputy Minister of Health of Uzbekistan Farrukh Sharipov, who was part of the delegation, held a number of meetings with Agency officials, as a result of which relations with IAEA departments were strengthened, existing problems in the implementation of joint projects were discussed, and specific plans were outlined for the near future.

In particular, the meetings noted the positive dynamics of interaction with the Ministry of Health in the process of implementing IAEA safety standards on radiation protection for medical exposure. The Agency’s intention to take part in strengthening the capacity of Uzbekistan’s specialists for the newly created national oncology center was announced, and an agreement was reached to continue work on modernizing radiation therapy facilities at the Tashkent Oncology Center.

As examples of specific results and agreements, one can cite the IAEA’s intention to allocate €2.5 million to implement a project in the next three years to build the human resources capacity of cancer centers in Uzbekistan.

During the conference, the delegation of Uzbekistan took part in the side event “Improving quality and safety in diagnostic radiology in Central Asia”. It reviewed issues of technical cooperation with the countries of Central Asia aimed at implementing IAEA safety standards on radiation protection and safety in medicine, as well as the Agency’s support for quality assurance activities in the field of diagnostic radiology and medical physics in the region.

Participants listened with great interest to the report of a medical physicist from the Tashkent city branch of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Oncology and Radiology and a graduate of the joint international postgraduate education program in medical physics IAEA/ICTP on the topic “Towards becoming a clinically qualified medical physicist: successes , obstacles and opportunities”.

In the speeches of the event organizers, it was especially noted that two specialists from Uzbekistan have completed and three are currently studying a two-year master’s program in medical physics at the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy.