Cătălin Cîrstoiu, the manager of the Bucharest University Emergency Hospital, spoke on Medika TV about the new underground bunker dedicated to modern radiotherapy, recently inaugurated, a project he describes as “unique” in the medical infrastructure in Romania. Located 12 meters below ground level, the space is designed to house state-of-the-art technology for the treatment of oncology patients.
Cîrstoiu explained that the biggest challenge was the realization of an underground construction in a sensitive area, located between the Dâmbovița river and the metro line, according to News.ro.
Changing the course of groundwater and the need for a permanent pumping system complicated the work.
The bunker is lined with lead for radiological protection, and the walls in the areas where the linear accelerators operate are up to 3 meters thick.
According to the hospital manager, the construction adds 1,500 square meters of usable medical space, entirely underground.
Two linear accelerators for high precision radiotherapy
The manager emphasized that such technical conditions make the project “unique” in Romania.
“In this building, we have two linear accelerators that are capable of performing high-performance radiotherapy, and when I say high-performance radiotherapy, I do not mean that radiotherapy in which the irradiation is practically a bit chaotic, to put it in quotation marks. A tumor is not a very well-defined thing. The radiation intensity must be uniform over the entire tumor area or the area left after the excision, after the resection of the tumor. And then there are the modern radiotherapy techniquese”, explained Cătălin Cîrstoiu.
Cătălin Cîrstoiu explained that the techniques used are much more precise than classic radiotherapy, reducing the risk of uneven irradiation and increasing the efficiency of the treatment.
The SUUB manager specified that, beyond the technical complexity, the center was designed to be as friendly as possible to oncology patients, who are going through a difficult stage of treatment, the circuit being simplified to reduce the waiting time.
“I want it to be a center where people feel calm”said university prof. Dr. Cătălin Cîrstoiu
Equipment authorization, the next step.
The oncology bunker will become operational in about two months, after the authorization procedures are completed. The project has had a long journey, the first attempt to achieve it dating back to 2012.
The Minister of Health, Alexandru Rogobete, stated that this will be the only public center in the country capable of offering stereotactic radiotherapy, a highly precise technique used in the treatment of certain types of tumors.
