UAE, Dubai - Saturday, 3 June 2017: A delegation represented the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences returned back to the UAE after attending the International Conference on the International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Cooperation Program held at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna.

 

The conference was held from May 30 to June 1, under the title "Sixty Years and Beyond - Contributing to Development."

 

The Award was part of the larger UAE delegation at the conference. Led by Hamad Al Kaabi, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the IAEA, the UAE delegation included representatives of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation; the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation; Nawah Energy Company; SEHA; University of Sharjah, and American University of Sharjah.

 

Abdullah bin Souqat, a member of the Award’s Board of Trustees and the head the delegation, said that the visit is in line with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance, Chairman of the Dubai Health Authority, about the necessity of strengthening the cooperation with the competent international organizations in order to support the sustainable development in the UAE and beyond.

 

He added that the technical cooperation projects of IAEA are supported by the Award, given their vital role in promoting the peaceful uses of atomic energy in the UAE, especially in the medical field, and strengthening the global status of the UAE in applying the best practices.

 

“The Award’s support for the Technical Cooperation Program of the IAEA, over the previous years, has played a vital role in the advanced position achieved by the medical sector which occupies the 2nd place by attracting 13% of the IAEA’s projects to the UAE, after the security sector which attracted 16% of these projects, according to Ambassador Hamad Al-Kaabi, the Permanent Representative of the UAE in the IAEA. In his lecture at the Conference, Al Kaabi reviewed the pioneering experience of the UAE in preparing teams of Emirati specialists to manage the nuclear power stations”.

 

The delegation of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences included Dr. Jamila Al Suwaidi, Coordinator of the National and Regional Projects in Medical Radiation in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Dr. Shereen Hamada, Senior Scientific coordinator, and Wael Abou Daif, Senior Administrative officer, Hamdan Medical Award.

 

Important meetings with the IAEA officials:

During their visit to Vienna, the members of the award’s delegation held several meetings with the IAEA officials to discuss the future mutual cooperation in supporting the technical cooperation programs in the medical and health fields.

 

In his meeting with Ambassador Hamad Al-Kaabi, the Permanent Representative of UAE in the IAEA, Abdullah bin Souqat extended the greetings from H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and the UAE Minister of Finance, to the members of the UAE permanent mission in the IAEA in recognition of their efforts in enhancing the cooperation between the IAEA and the UAE.

 

Also, ambassador Hamad Al-Kaabi expressed his appreciation to the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in all medical, educational, cultural, and environmental sectors by laying down the infrastructure for the sustainable development not only in the UAE, but also in many countries around the world.

 

Among the issues discussed during the meeting are the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the medical field, and expanding the prospects of cooperation in line with the sustainable development process within the UAE.

 

On the other hand, and in the presence of Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the IAEA, the award’s delegation held a meeting with Dazhu Yang, Deputy Director-General of the IAEA (TC), Department of Technical Cooperation, and Jane Gerardo-Abaya, Section Head (Asia and Pacific Section), Department of Technical Cooperation in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

 

During the meeting, Mr. Yang expressed his appreciation for the efforts of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum in supporting the activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the UAE out of his belief in the importance of the peaceful uses of atomic energy in all sectors.

 

The two sides discussed the ways of enhancing the future cooperation for the benefit of developing and poor countries, and the projects to be established within the UAE in cooperation with public and private medical institutions.

 

Supporting the IAEA technical cooperation programs within the UAE:

Dr. Jamila Al Suwaidi, a member of the delegation of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences to Vienna, praised the award’s support for the activities in this field, especially for those of the IAEA’s technical cooperation programs; such as the national projects on radiation safety, quality of Radiological imaging, and radiological applications for patients with Cancers. 

 

Also, the award supported and organized a number of the IAEA regional projects including the basic and advanced courses on the Nuclear Cardiology and Oncology using SPECT/CT & PET/CT, radiation safety principles in clinical practices, and effective management in Radiology.

 

Dr. Jamila Al-Suwaidi pointed out to the meeting between the award’s delegation and Prof. Madan Rihani, Vice President of the International Organization for Medical Physics, Secretary of the Protection in Medicine Committee of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, Director of Global Outreach for Radiation Protection at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. During the meeting, a number of topics have been discussed such as the award’s future training programs in this field, the ways of improving the efficiency of their logistics operations, and the possibilities of attracting new categories of healthcare professionals. 

 

On the sidelines of the conference, the award participated in a youth session titled, "Building Specialized Youth Capacities in the Nuclear Sector”, organized by the UAE’s Permanent Mission at the International Atomic Energy Agency, in co-operation with the Emirates Youth Council.

 

During the session, a number of topics have been discussed including raising the awareness of youths towards the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the opportunities of the technical training in this field, knowledge management, and the gap between the academic study and the application.