AZ Delta, a hospital in West Flanders, has become the first in Belgium to receive two international quality labels for highly precise radiotherapy treatment.
The hospital, based in Roeselare, announced the achievement on Monday. Only three centres in Europe have obtained both accreditations so far.
AZ Delta received the labels for stereotactic radiotherapy, a treatment that delivers a high dose of radiation with great precision to a tumour or lesion while sparing as much healthy surrounding tissue as possible.
One label covers the irradiation of tumours and metastases. The second is a renewed accreditation for the treatment of lesions in the brain and skull base.
Doctors Caroline Sweldens and Mathieu Spaas from the radiotherapy department said the double recognition confirmed the quality and expertise their team pursues every day.
They said stereotactic radiotherapy requires exceptional precision at every stage of the treatment process, and that becoming the first hospital in Belgium and the third centre in Europe to obtain both labels recognises the commitment of staff to providing patients with the best and safest care possible.
The quality labels are valid for three years, after which the hospital will undergo a new evaluation for possible renewal.
