Brazil inks agreement with Varian Medical Systems to build first radiotherapy equipment manufacturing plant in Latin America

The Health Minister of Brazil signed an agreement with the US-based Varian Medical Systems to construct a radiotherapy equipment manufacturing plant in Brazil, the first such unit in Latin America. As per the agreement, Varian will establish operations such as manufacturing of equipment, maintenance and transfer of technology and research centers in Brazil. The production unit will be established in Jundiai, Sao Paulo. The plant will start the operations in 2018. As per the agreement, a minimum of 40% components, accessories, equipment and software will be made in Brazil. Varian will also be responsible to train healthcare professionals in Brazil, who are currently trained in Las Vegas, US. The company plans to start over 50 courses and will train over 1,000 specialists per year. Under the agreement terms, the Brazilian government will purchase 80 linear accelerators, which will be installed in the hospitals, where there is no such equipment or it is outdated. Usually, a linear accelerator costs USD 666,200 (BRL 2.1 million), but under the agreement, an accelerator will cost USD 507,500 (BRL 1.6 million) to the Brazilian government. Presently, Brazil has 261 linear accelerators in their public health organizations. Brazil will disburse USD 158.6 million (BRL 500 million) to purchase accelerators and for networking services in various regions of Brazil.

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