RIYADH, 2 March 2005 — Saudi Arabia has plans to set up a nuclear medicine society to improve the status of nuclear medicine in the country and provide an effective forum for collaboration among doctors and personnel working in this new field of medical specialty.
The society will have the mandate to promote nuclear medicine, now widely accepted as a safe, painless and cost-effective technique to image the body and treat different diseases.
The plans were announced at the “First Gulf Nuclear Medicine Conference,” inaugurated by Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie here yesterday at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center.
The proposed nuclear medicine society of Saudi Arabia will have physicians, scientists, radiographers, radio-pharmacists and other professionals with a common interest in the field of nuclear medicine as members.
In his opening speech, Dr. Al-Manie said eight new nuclear medicine centers had recently opened in the Kingdom. The move to open these centers, he said, is significant keeping in view the fact that the nuclear medicine offers procedures that are essential in many medical specialties, from pediatrics and cardiology to psychiatry. Innovative nuclear medicine treatments that target and pinpoint at molecular levels within the body are revolutionizing human understanding of and approach to a range of diseases and conditions.
The inaugural ceremony of the three-day conference was attended by Dr. Qasim Al-Qassabi, KFSH’s deputy supervisor, and Dr. Othman ibn Ahmad, KFSH’s executive director for medical affairs. A total of 16 research studies and 22 lectures will be presented by 29 international and local scientists and physicians at this three-day event, which is accredited by the Saudi Council for Health Specialties and by the American Academy of Continuous Medical Education.
