ELEKTA COMMITS TO SUPPORTING THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED HEALTH CARE IN UKRAINE - DONATION OF BRAIN SURGERY SYSTEM IN THE PRESENCE OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN SILVIA OF SWEDEN

Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. For more than half a century, Elekta has been transforming the way modern medicine treats cancer tumors and performs neurosurgery. Elekta believes that by stretching the boundaries of science and technology, we can improve, prolong and even save lives.

Today, at a ceremony in Kiev during the state visit by their Majesties The King and Queen of Sweden, Mr Johan Sedihn, Executive Vice President at Elekta, presented the donation consisting of Leksell Stereotactic System®. This is a system for advanced stereotactic neurosurgery, a minimally invasive form of surgery which allows the surgeon to take biopsies and treat brain disorders with the highest precision and minimal trauma to the patient. The Leksell Stereotactic System has become the system of choice in the whole world for treating functional diseases, for example Parkinson’s disease.

The total value of the donated system, which also includes training at one of Elekta’s renowned European reference sites, is around EUR 70.000.

“We are grateful for this donation from Elekta, which will be very useful for Ukrainian neurosurgeons and increase our capacity for less traumatic brain surgery”, said Mrs. Vira Pavlyuk, Director of Partnership Projects at the International Charitable Foundation Ukraine 3000.

“We are looking forward to further explore the possibility of collaboration with Elekta and we are not least excited about the opportunity for Ukrainian radiation oncologists and neurosurgeons to take part in the international exchange of scientific results through the professional societies and training opportunities facilitated by Elekta”, said Vasyl Knyazevich, the Minister of Health of Ukraine.

Elekta’s engagement in Ukraine was initiated through the contract to deliver two Elekta Synergy® systems for image guided radiation therapy (IGRT). The purchases of these systems were supported by Mrs Yuschenko and the Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Foundation, and will be installed at the All-Ukrainian Mother and Child Healthcare Center. These cancer-treating systems are capable of three-dimensional imaging of the patient in conjunction with the treatment and thus allow higher precision and accuracy by minimizing the risk of errors due to patient setup and organ movements.

In its tradition to go beyond collaboration to long-term relationships built on trust with a shared vision to deliver clinical advances that improve patient outcomes, Elekta is now together with its local partner Kievspetsresurs engaging with Ukrainian health authorities to find ways to accelerate the build-up of capacity for advanced oncology and neurosurgery care in the country.

“More and more of Elekta’s activities are now focusing on assisting countries in need of a rapid expansion of capacity for advanced care”, commented Mr Johan Sedihn. “In many countries, we work closely with governmental and healthcare authorities with the common objective to bring advanced technology for cancer care and neurosurgery to patients in need. We are proud to have been chosen to install the most advanced radiation therapy systems in Ukraine, and now the Leksell Stereotactic System, and see these as steps in developing a closer collaboration to benefit patients in Ukraine.”