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Medical imaging practitioners reject bill on National Council of Radiology

By Nkechi Onyedika -Ugoeze, Abuja
27 July 2017   |   4:25 am
Medical radiographers and radiation scientists under the aegis of the Medical Imaging Society of Nigeria (MISON) have rejected the proposed National Council of Radiology and Radiation Medicine (NCR) Bill presently before the National Assembly.

National Assembly

Medical radiographers and radiation scientists under the aegis of the Medical Imaging Society of Nigeria (MISON) have rejected the proposed National Council of Radiology and Radiation Medicine (NCR) Bill presently before the National Assembly.

The Bill sponsored by Patrick Asadu, representing Nsukka /Igbo Eze South Federal Constituency of Enugu State had already passed through second reading In the House of Representatives

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, MISON Lead Speaker, Stanley Chima Ibe noted that the proposed bill was unnecessary as Radiologists are already being regulated by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, while Radiographers are already regulated by the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN) , Nigerian Nuclear and Regulatory Agency (NNRA) that already regulates equipment and premises used for radiation activities , radiation nurses already regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria , Biomedical Engineers and X-ray technicians among others.”

He argued that the proposed bill went through first and second reading without the prior knowledge of those whom the bill intends to subjugate.Ibe observed that the proposed bill if passed into law, would add to the already N2.06bn being spent by the federal government in running all regulating boards in the health sector, as well as cause conflicts and disharmony that could lead to more industrial actions.

Also speaking, a Senior Lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Akwa, Anambra State, Dr. Anthony Ugwu, said the bill did not promote international best practices but duplicates the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN) Act.

He called on the federal and state governments to strengthen the capacity of the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria through increased penalties for radiation offenders as well as amend the act to strengthen extant laws establishing it.

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