PALO ALTO, California and NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian (NYSE: VAR) signed a partnership agreement with Mediheal Group of Hospitals to expand access to radiotherapy in Kenya. This comprehensive partnership agreement includes the supply of advanced linear accelerators to five new radiotherapy centers across Kenya, as well as service, training and research collaboration opportunities. The equipment to be supplied will comprise one Varian TrueBeam® system and four Varian Halcyon™ systems.
"Supplying equipment is only part of the solution," said Varian president and CEO, Dow Wilson. "By partnering with a visionary hospital network like Mediheal, we seek to address the entire cancer care continuum, from human capacity development to treatment to long-term sustainability."
The signing ceremony on June 29, 2018 was witnessed by U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Gil Kaplan, who led the President's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA) delegation to Ethiopia, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Varian CEO Dow Wilson is a member of the PAC-DBIA. Health leaders from the Kenyan government also joined the signing ceremony, including Cabinet Secretary of Health Sicily Kariuki and Principal Secretary of Health Peter Tum.
"The Ministry of Health will also leverage the centers once established so that they can contribute to improved cancer care and evidence-based policy development," remarked Cabinet Secretary Kariuki during the event.
Over the next seven years, Varian and Mediheal will work together to realize the goals of the agreement. "Varian and Mediheal's partnership is the beginning of the fight against cancer in Kenya," stated Hon. Dr. S.R. Mishra, Mediheal Chairman.