2014
On December 2, the Ministry of Popular Power for Health (MPPS, in Spanish) of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela entered into a 117 million dollar contract with INVAP S.E. (Argentine state-owned applied research company) for the maintenance and technological update of 19 radiotherapy centers that were duly equipped by the company in that country.
“The agreement also includes training courses on Radiotherapy Services for the staff,” pointed out the Minister of Health of Venezuela, Dr. Nancy Pérez Sierra, who together with INVAP’s General Manager & CEO, Lic. Héctor Otheguy, signed the contract and explained that this agreement will be useful for the equipment maintenance that INVAP has provided to Venezuela during the last 10 years.
During the official ceremony, which was attended by the ambassador of Argentina in Caracas, Engineer Carlos Cheppi, the Minister Perez Sierra said that one of the main points of this agreement is the knowledge to be acquired: “We will be provided with training courses by specialists in Medical Physics Master’s, Radiotherapy Medical Residency, Nuclear Medicine as well as linear accelerators, after which a group will be formed to carry out the maintenance of the synchrotron.” “The important matter is not only the equipment purchased but the training required for their maintenance. Thanks to this agreement our staff will be able to solve the problems that may arise,” Dr. Pérez Sierra added.
Finally, the responsible of the Bolivarian Health portfolio underlined that: “these agreements strengthen relations between two brother countries such as Argentina and Venezuela, dignifying the health care for the South American people.
In his turn, Lic. Héctor Otheguy highlighted that this new contract is entered into in the context of the Integral Cooperation Agreement between Argentina and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela signed in April 2014 by the Ministry of Federal Planning of Argentina, Architect Julio De Vido, and the Ministry of Energy of Venezuela, Engineer Rafael Ramírez, which gave rise to 19 radiotherapy centers equipped by INVAP. “Besides, this proves the confidence generated, once more, by Argentine technicians through their professional performance of previous works in Venezuela,” he concluded.
