STOCKHOLM – A new order for several Elekta (EKTA-B.ST) Harmony linear accelerators (linacs) in Ukraine will complement the extraordinary efforts of clinical staff, Elekta workers, and our distributor, who have worked tirelessly to maintain radiation therapy treatments throughout the war. Now, through a partnership with the Ministry of Health, Ukrainians will have access to modern radiation therapy devices, the first of which are expected to begin treating cancer patients in 2024. The Harmony systems will be placed in half of Ukraine’s provinces as well as at the National Cancer Institute in the capital, Kyiv.
Before the war, Ukraine had a shortage of radiation therapy, a treatment required by more than half of all cancer patients. Shortly after the invasion, only four of the eight hospitals using Elekta linacs were able to treat patients due to being damaged.
Elekta immediately supported cancer clinics in neighboring countries such as Poland, Romania and Moldavia, where Ukrainians sought refuge, allowing many patients to continue ongoing cancer treatments. And for hospitals still in operation, Elekta provided a free-of-charge service line for crisis support, remote service and managed to deliver spare parts when possible. Eventually, most clinics were able to begin treating again and the linacs now have higher uptime than prior to the invasion.
Due to the loss of infrastructure, Elekta could initially only help with distant support, utilizing IntelliMax, the remote system connection whereby Elekta can monitor machine status, wherever possible. In one instance, an Elekta Support Specialist in Poland was able to diagnose an issue and guide the hospital team in Dnipro, Ukraine to get their system operating again.
As with all of Elekta’s radiation therapy devices, the new Harmony linacs will have IntelliMax functionality, in addition to enabling the latest advanced radiotherapy techniques, while simplifying and streamlining the radiotherapy process.
Ardie Ermers, Elekta’s Executive Vice President for Region Europe, says: “These additional Elekta Harmony linacs will help improve access to radiation therapy for the almost one million people in Ukraine living with cancer*. In the meanwhile, we will continue to find concrete ways to offer Ukrainians hope and the best cancer care possible.”
About Elekta
As a leader in precision radiation therapy, Elekta is committed to ensuring every patient has access to the best cancer care possible. We openly collaborate with customers to advance sustainable, outcome-driven and cost-efficient solutions to meet evolving patient needs, improve lives and bring hope to everyone dealing with cancer. To us, it's personal, and our global team of 4,500 employees combine passion, science, and imagination to profoundly change cancer care. We don’t just build technology, we build hope. Elekta is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in more than 40 countries and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.
Back to HCB News
