‘50% of X-ray machines in government hospitals not working’

The Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) has said that about 50 per cent of the X-ray machines in government-owned hospitals are not functional.

Director-General, Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), Dr. Idris Yau

Idris, an expert in nuclear regulation and radiation protection, noted that the lack of adequate personnel with expertise in radiation treatment was responsible for many Nigerians seeking quality healthcare services abroad.

“There are a lot of issues in the sector. We don’t have much personnel with knowledge of X-ray treatment. Also, we have about 60 different brands of x-ray machines in the country. So, it is difficult for a brand to have a service station in Nigeria.

“Our survey shows that the private hospitals are performing much better than public ones. Half of the X-ray facilities in public hospitals are not working. But 80 per cent of these facilities are working in private hospitals.

“This is because it takes a lot of bureaucracy to repair broken X-ray machines in the public hospitals. But if it is in the private hospitals, these facilities are quickly attended to because that is what generates revenue for them.”
MEANWHILE, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva in his keynote address, declared that 50 million diagnostic X-ray examinations were being carried out and about 3,000 radiation therapy patients were being treated in the country yearly.

He, therefore, urged professionals to adhere to radiation safety standards to optimise doses for patients.

The minister said the X-ray platform would provide real-time information and guardian required to locate authorised medical diagnostic facilities for radiology services across the country.