Hiroshima International Council for Health Care of the Radiation-exposed

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Hiroo Dohy, HICARE President
Director, Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital

An international conference commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident was held in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, from April 24 through 28, 2006. As HICARE President, I attended both the Chernobyl commemoration as well as the REMPAN Conference.

The Conference began at the opera house in Kiev at just past 3:00 pm. Greenpeace stayed in front of the house and press covered their activities. The atmosphere about the opera house was most tumultuous. Just before the appearance of President Yushchenko, security in and around the house was extremely tight; each participant’s seat, including ours, was strictly checked. In the latter part of the conference, Dr. Kenzo Kiikuni, leader of the Nippon Foundation Delegation, announced the results of the medical checks conducted by the Foundation. Additionally, Dr. Hiroshi Nakano, Honorable Secretary-General of WHO, made a speech. The conference ended with a brief summary of the day’s meeting by Dr. Balonov from the IAEA.

In the morning of the next day, the general meeting was held. Dr. Taniguchi, Deputy Secretary-General of IAEA, gave an excellent lecture, as well as Dr. Rapacholi from WHO, delivering an outlook report from REMPAN’s perspective. Then, an official in charge of public relations for WHO explained the current state of Chernobyl comprehensively and concisely. He confessed that they had to use simple language to explain to the residents if the region was dangerous or safe, but nevertheless had not yet succeeded. I was deeply impressed by his lecture.

In the afternoon of the same day, participants were divided into four sessions: the first session discussed themes of humanity, medical, and social influences; the second the Chernobyl accident and environment and residents' rehabilitation in polluted areas; the third the possibility of nuclear safety from a technical standpoint; and the fourth, the results of a nuclear accident from both medical and biological viewpoints. I attended the first session as a presenter. Following a lecture by Dr. Bebeshko from the Ukraine at the beginning of the session, I was privileged to present the mission of Hiroshima, the first city in the world subjected to a nuclear attack. In addition, I also spoke of our efforts to medically support radiation victims and patients around the world. I clearly remember the solemn atmosphere of the hall during my explanation of the catastrophe in Hiroshima after the A-bombing.

On April 26, a general meeting was held to summarize the results of the discussions at each session.

In the afternoon of the same day, I participated in the REMPAN meeting, which had started the day before. Presided by both Dr. Niera of WHO and Dr. Bebeschenco, the session I attended started at 14:30. At the end of the opening, I was allowed to present a message from Mr. Yuzan Fujita, Governor of Hiroshima prefecture, evoking cheers from all attendants. The latter part of the session was presided over by Dr. Solomon from Australia and Dr. Kodama, Chief Scientist from the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) in Hiroshima.

Reports were presented by nations and organizations that newly participated in REMPAN, as well as by current members. Opening a party after the meeting, I completed the tasks that had been assigned to me.
On the next day, I left Kiev for Hiroshima.