Beirut hospital to offer more advanced cancer treatment with linac upgrade

Elekta donates radiation therapy device to Rafik Hariri University Hospital

Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, has perhaps suffered more than other cities during the Covid-19 pandemic. In August 2020, an explosion in the city’s harbor left over 200 people dead, injured 7,500 and put an additional burden on hospitals already under pressure due to the pandemic. Consequently, hundreds – possibly thousands – of people with cancer were unable to receive their diagnoses or necessary treatment.

Now, Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH), has received an upgrade to its Elekta linear accelerator, which is used to deliver radiotherapy to treat cancer.

“We are grateful for this donation, which will be very useful for the hospital and we are looking forward to further exploring the possibility of collaboration.”

At a ceremony at RHUH to celebrate this upgrade, Dr. Firas Abiad, General Director of RHUH, said: “We are grateful for this donation from Elekta, which will be very useful for the hospital and we are looking forward to further exploring the possibility of collaboration with Elekta. The modernization of the radiotherapy department will broaden the range of services provided by the hospital, which will support its role as a leading governmental hospital in Lebanon and will elevate its competitive edge in the Lebanese healthcare market.”

“I believe RHUH and Elekta share the same ambition to make an impact on those statistics and bring better treatment and better outcomes to people living with cancer.”

Habib Nehme, Elekta’s Executive Vice President, Middle East, Africa and India, added: “Last year, more than 11,500 new cases were diagnosed in Lebanon and over 6,000 people died of the disease. I believe RHUH and Elekta share the same ambition to make an impact on those statistics and bring better treatment and better outcomes to people living with cancer.”

In addition to Dr. Abiad and Habib Nehme, the ceremony was attended by Her Excellency Ann Dismorr, Ambassador of Sweden to Lebanon and Ibrahim Duhaini, the Chief Medical Physicist and Radiation Safety Officer at RHUH.