Global collaboration in nuclear medicine.

Nuclear Medicine's Global Renaissance: How Collaboration Can Save Lives

Mira Elwood monogram
Mira Elwood in Health & Wellness October 2026 • 4 min read.

"A global initiative seeks to democratize nuclear medicine, making advanced diagnostics and treatments accessible worldwide."


The field of nuclear medicine stands at a critical juncture. While precision and personalized medicine are advancing rapidly in some parts of the world, many nations still grapple with fundamental infrastructure challenges. This disparity highlights a pressing need for global collaboration to ensure that the benefits of nuclear medicine reach all corners of the earth.

Despite significant efforts, nuclear medicine remains in its infancy in many regions. Countries like Japan, Korea, and China lead in performing nuclear medicine procedures, but others face hurdles such as inadequate infrastructure, a lack of trained professionals, and economic constraints. These challenges underscore the urgent need for a coordinated global strategy.

The World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology (WFNMB) is stepping up to bridge this gap. By forging a strong relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO), the WFNMB aims to democratize nuclear medicine, making it accessible and beneficial to clinicians and patients worldwide. This partnership marks a pivotal moment, signaling the recognition of nuclear medicine as a vital clinical entity on a global scale.

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How Nuclear Energy Works

Nuclear energy is energy released from the nucleus, the dense core of an atom. It can be produced through fission, in which atomic nuclei split, or fusion, in which nuclei join together. Today, electricity generated from nuclear energy is produced overwhelmingly through the fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear power plants. In these plants, reactor heat produces steam that drives a turbine connected to an electricity generator.

Fission Today, Fusion Ahead

The established approach to nuclear energy is controlled nuclear fission, which is used in power plants around the world. Controlled fusion is another method of releasing nuclear energy, but Britannica reports that it has not yet been perfected. This distinction illustrates the field's central limitation: fission is an established method, while fusion remains technologically incomplete. Any comparison between the two therefore needs to recognize their different stages of development.

A Developing Scientific Field

Nuclear energy developed from scientific efforts to understand and use processes involving atomic nuclei. Broadly, its history includes the emergence of controlled fission as a practical energy method and continuing efforts to develop controlled fusion. The available material does not establish a specific chronology of discoveries or milestones. Those historical details should therefore be treated cautiously unless supported by dedicated historical sources.

Bridging the Healthcare Gap: WFNMB and WHO Collaboration

Global collaboration in nuclear medicine.

The WFNMB's collaboration with the WHO is a game-changer for nuclear medicine. The WHO's recognition of the WFNMB as an official Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) signifies that nuclear medicine is now considered an official partner in global health initiatives. This recognition is long overdue, and its impact will be far-reaching.

The WHO operates primarily through regional offices, where working plans are devised and budgets are allocated. With six regional offices covering the globe, including the Western Pacific RO (WPRO), South Eastern Asian RO (SEARO), and Eastern Mediterranean RO (EMRO), the WHO's regional structure is crucial for implementing healthcare strategies at the local level.

  • Strategic Alignment: Aligning nuclear medicine with the WHO's regional strategies.
  • Resource Allocation: Directing resources effectively to address local healthcare needs.
  • Collaborative Initiatives: Fostering collaborative projects to enhance nuclear medicine practices.
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Ongoing Nuclear Innovation

Current nuclear-energy research can be understood as an effort to improve established fission systems while continuing to investigate fusion. The available material does not identify particular studies, research teams, technologies, or review findings. It therefore supports only a general conclusion that the field remains active and technologically evolving. Specific claims about recent breakthroughs would require dedicated research sources.

Unresolved Limitations

Nuclear energy discussions must account for limitations as well as potential benefits. The available material specifically indicates that controlled fusion has not yet been perfected, making it an unresolved technological challenge. It does not provide evidence about particular accidents, failed projects, costs, or safety records. Those issues should not be assigned specific outcomes without additional sources.

Fission and Fusion Compared

The clearest comparison supported by the available material is between fission and fusion. Fission splits atomic nuclei and currently supplies the nuclear energy used to generate electricity, whereas fusion joins nuclei and has not yet been perfected as a controlled energy technology. This means fission is the established approach and fusion remains a developing alternative. The sources do not support broader comparisons involving costs, emissions, or performance.

With nuclear medicine recognized as a key component of human health maintenance, the WFNMB is poised to contribute to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3), which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. The WFNMB, under the WHO umbrella, will collaborate with organizations like the Asia Regional Cooperative Council for Nuclear Medicine (ARCCNM) and the Arabic Society of Nuclear Medicine, extending its reach and impact across diverse regions.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Nuclear Medicine

The journey ahead involves ensuring that nuclear medicine contributes to the improvement of global human health. Being part of the Integrated Service Delivery by the WHO and addressing the shortage of health workers in developing countries are critical steps. While cutting-edge technologies like PET/MRI and PET/CT are essential, radionuclide therapy and dosimetry remain fundamental. The focus should be on training radiopharmacists, nuclear medicine physicists, and nuclear medicine physicians to fully leverage these advancements.

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A Field Between Practice and Possibility

Taken together, the available material presents nuclear energy as a field with an established foundation in controlled fission and an unfinished frontier in controlled fusion. Nuclear power plants use reactor heat to produce steam and generate electricity through turbines. At the same time, fusion remains technologically incomplete. A balanced synthesis should therefore distinguish current capability from longer-term possibility.

The Fusion Frontier

The most clearly supported future frontier is controlled nuclear fusion. Fusion involves joining atomic nuclei, but the available material states that the technology has not yet been perfected. Future progress will therefore depend on overcoming the technical challenges that currently separate experimental promise from an established energy method. The sources do not provide a timeline or forecast for that development.

Energy Systems and Technology

Nuclear energy operates within a broader technological system that includes reactors, heat production, steam generation, turbines, and electricity generators. The available material also shows that nuclear energy encompasses more than one process, principally fission and fusion. However, it does not provide evidence about policy, financing, workforce capacity, waste management, or international collaboration. Those systemic challenges require separate documentation.

From Reactors to Electricity

The real-world application described by the available material is the production of electricity in nuclear power plants. In that process, heat from a nuclear reactor produces steam, which drives a turbine connected to a generator. This chain translates nuclear reactions into usable electrical power. The sources do not provide evidence about patients, communities, workers, or other human impacts, so broader social conclusions would be premature.

What scanner density shows-and does not show

The reported medians put SPECT density above PET density in the region, but they do not describe how access is distributed among countries or patients. Scanner counts alone also cannot establish whether people can reach or afford a scan.[1] [2]

A global procedure estimate combines reported data with model predictions for countries that did not submit data. Its stated uncertainty is substantial, so it is better read as an approximate scale than as a precise tally.[3]

Regional access figures beside global estimates

A separate estimate puts annual diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures at about 40 million, with uncertainty of ±70%. Because part of the estimate comes from model predictions for countries without submitted data, it is not a direct count of procedures performed everywhere.[3]

One reported contrast illustrates how uneven scanner availability can be: in low- and middle-income countries, a SPECT scanner may serve far more people than in high-income countries. This is a population-per-scanner comparison, not a measure of scan use or clinical outcomes.[4]

The evidence also describes barriers beyond equipment counts, including delivery logistics, insurance, radiation-related concerns, and broader health-system constraints. These factors help explain why the presence of a scanner does not by itself establish practical access.[5]

The available global resource database compiles estimated medical-imaging resources across many countries, while other evidence notes that hybrid-imaging availability and use worldwide remain unknown. Together, these facts distinguish a resource inventory from a complete account of who receives imaging.[4] [6]

What remains unclear about access and use

  • How do public versus private ownership, insurance coverage, and distance to PET-CT scanners shape access for patients, especially in rural areas?[2]
  • How closely do estimated resource inventories correspond to actual availability and use of hybrid imaging across health systems?[4] [6]
  • What barriers most affect whether nuclear medicine scans are used in a regional hospital setting, given that the cited Nigerian records cover patients who underwent scans rather than all people who might need them?[5]

Sources

  1. Theranostics and nuclear medicine practice in Asia-Pacific: an IAEA regional study (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  2. Addressing Global Inequities in Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (PET-CT) for Cancer Management: A Statistical Model to Guide Strategic Planning (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  3. Evaluation of medical exposure to ionizing radiation (www.unscear.org)
  4. Global Challenges in the Provision of Theranostic Services the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Perspective (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  5. Underutilisation of nuclear medicine scans at a regional hospital in Nigeria: need for implementation research (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  6. Worldwide Availability and Utilization of PET/CT from IAEA Survey (www.jstage.jst.go.jp)

About this Article -

Written with AI assistance from published research, and reviewed by the Mystum team. See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

1

What is the role of the World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology (WFNMB) in global healthcare?

The World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology (WFNMB) is actively working to democratize nuclear medicine on a global scale. It is partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO) to bridge healthcare gaps, especially in developing countries. This partnership allows the WFNMB to contribute to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3), focusing on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. By collaborating with organizations like the Asia Regional Cooperative Council for Nuclear Medicine (ARCCNM) and the Arabic Society of Nuclear Medicine, WFNMB extends its impact across diverse regions, advocating for the implementation of nuclear medicine solutions and improving global human health.

2

How does the World Health Organization (WHO) contribute to the advancement of nuclear medicine?

The World Health Organization (WHO) plays a critical role by recognizing the World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology (WFNMB) as an official Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). This recognition is pivotal, as it integrates nuclear medicine into global health initiatives. The WHO operates through its regional offices, such as the Western Pacific RO (WPRO), South Eastern Asian RO (SEARO), and Eastern Mediterranean RO (EMRO). These offices are key for implementing healthcare strategies locally. The WHO supports strategic alignment, resource allocation, and collaborative initiatives to enhance nuclear medicine practices worldwide.

3

What are the main challenges in the field of nuclear medicine globally?

Despite the advancements in precision and personalized medicine, nuclear medicine faces significant challenges, particularly in many regions. One major hurdle is inadequate infrastructure, which includes a lack of essential equipment and facilities. Another significant challenge is the shortage of trained professionals, such as radiopharmacists, nuclear medicine physicists, and nuclear medicine physicians. Economic constraints also play a critical role, as the high costs associated with nuclear medicine can limit access to treatments and diagnostics. These challenges highlight the need for a coordinated global strategy.

4

Why is the collaboration between the WFNMB and WHO considered a 'game-changer' for nuclear medicine?

The collaboration between the World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology (WFNMB) and the World Health Organization (WHO) is transformative because it integrates nuclear medicine into the core of global health strategies. This partnership enables the WFNMB to leverage the WHO's extensive global network and regional offices, such as the Western Pacific RO (WPRO), South Eastern Asian RO (SEARO), and Eastern Mediterranean RO (EMRO), to implement healthcare initiatives more effectively. Being recognized as an official NGO by the WHO means that nuclear medicine gains a prominent role in the allocation of resources, strategic planning, and collaborative projects, ultimately aiming to address local healthcare needs and improve nuclear medicine practices worldwide.

5

What are the key areas of focus for the future of nuclear medicine?

The future of nuclear medicine centers on ensuring its contribution to the improvement of global human health. This involves several critical steps. Firstly, integrating nuclear medicine within the Integrated Service Delivery framework by the World Health Organization (WHO) is essential. Secondly, addressing the shortage of healthcare workers in developing countries is crucial. While advanced technologies like PET/MRI and PET/CT are important, the focus also remains on fundamental aspects such as radionuclide therapy and dosimetry. Furthermore, there is a need for training radiopharmacists, nuclear medicine physicists, and nuclear medicine physicians to fully utilize and advance these technologies.

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