The Atomic Energy Council (AEC) in Uganda, has stepped up its efforts to minmise the apocalyptic consequences of ionizing radiation.
Charged with responsibility of regulating the peaceful applications of Ionizing radiation, for safety of society of environment from dangers resulting from ionizing radiation, the AEC was instituted in 2008, as a statutory government body by the Atomic Energy Act No.24.
Radiation technology is used in different sectors to solve problems of everyday life, for example; in hospitals to treat cancer patients, x-rays and others, in industries to facilitate production, in security to scan large consignments for threats, and very many other areas.
It is important to note, that the misuse and mismanagement of radiation technology, either by semi-skilled staff, or due to negligence by some workers in several establishments has caused fatal effects on patients, companies’ workers and members of community.
These include skin burns, sterility, Acute Radiation Syndromme (ARS), cataracts and sometimes eminent death.
This misuse of radiation technology comes in two forms. Some negligent health workers administer low dozes on patients, or over dozes, over and over again. In either case, the consequences are highly disastrous.
It is for this reason that the Atomic Energy Council organised a one-day seminar at Imperial Royal Hotel on Saturday, aimed at sensitizing, providing additional training to senior health workers from Mukono, Wakiso and Kampala so as to curtail the mismanagement of ionizing radiation.
The seminar, organised under the major objective of “refleshing participants with elements of a Radiation Protection Program for diagnostic and image guided interventional radiology and their roles and responsibilities”, was attended in large numbers, by health workers in the central region of Uganda.
It was also intended to sensitize these personnel on how to protect the community and the environment against harmful effects of Ionizing radiation.
Several trainers from the AEC took a more proactive role in trying to impart valuable knowledge to several health workers gathered inside the Imperial Royal conference hall.
The most distinguished of these was Mr. Noah Deogratious Luwalira, the secretary and CEO of AEC who sensitized health workers gathered at the seminar to be vigilant while administering radiation related treatments on patients.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the conference, he highlighted the role of radiation safety officers(RSO’s). He explained that they are charged with responsibility of overseeing the local rules and steps to follow in order to effectively manage ionizing radiation without harming patients and the community.
“The roles of the radiation safety officers is to draw radiation safety programs and a number of aspects they have to oversee. They have to oversee that the local rules and procedures put in place are followed at all times, whenever there is any emission or exposure of Ionising radiation to patients. They have to make sure that these procedures are followed by the latter so that patients the clients are not exposed…………, that they get the right doze, and the environment which exposure takes place is safely arranged and secure not only to harm the patients but also the public, the people who may be passing around. In essence, they are to oversee the implementation of radiation safety programs by putting in place all measures and procedures to be followed, in order to protect the patients,” he explained.
Mr Luwalira also revealed the AEC’s plan to see to it that knowledge regarding atomic energy is included in the curriculum at all levels of learning to increase learners awareness.
“Actually we have engaged a number of stakeholders, including curriculum development department and this aspect is being considered where it does not exist. But at higher levels like university, secondary at advanced level, these coarses are taught. Even from secondary, they start to talk about the atom and these aspects become advanced as you go along. But at an ordinary level we have a communication strategy, where we educate, or talk to people about this Ironising radiation and its dangers,” he asserted.
“I think this approach is going to bring infornation closer to the people and we have a number of approaches through engagements on Tv, radio, trainings, and such approaches, and also in the formal carriculum at different levels, depending on the complexity of the subject is being actually implimented.”
“Radiation, we call it just energy. Just the way you see the sun. See it in terms of sunshine, if it shines on you, you feel hot. Also radiation is energy. When it is exposed to you, it creates an impact. When that energy becomes too much, it can make you feel unwell, spoil your body organs. It is what we call radiation in our simple English.Radiation effects means the consequences you encounter when this force is exposed to you in an iresponsible way,” Mr Luwalira further remarked.
Dr. Kavuma Awusi, a senior Principal Medical Physicist at Uganda Cancer Institute, at Mulago Referral Hospital, also called upon fellow medical personnel to handle radiation treatments with vigilance.
“Radiation has advantages, and disadvantages if it is misused, it has side effects, and if it is well used, it had many benefits. So you have to make sure that it is utilised, such that the effects do not occur to the users and also the patients. As a user, i have to make sure that the patients……when I am treating patients, i only radiate the affected area,” he explained.
Nalweyiso Prossy, a specialised nurse at Kiruddu hospital said that radiation is of paramount importance, but can backfire if handled poorly.
“I am here in training, i have come to talk about the benefits of radiation training by Atomic Energy Council. We have benefited from it, since in medicine, every year we have to carry out CMP’s, increased testing to acquire knowledge and in this straining, we remimd ourselves accidents in radiation, and how we can avoid such, how we can teach students, public in terms of accidents in radiation and how to prevent them, and as we health practitioners, the way we can prevent it from negatively affecting us, together with our clients,” she said.
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