By Mumini Abdulkareem
Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria (RRBN) last week sealed off two ultrasound and X-ray laboratory facilities in Ilorin over alleged unprofessional practices.
The enforcement team of the board which comprises of officers in the inspection and monitoring unit also handed over two operators of radiographic facilities to the police for prosecution during unscheduled visits to about 20 radiographic outfits in Kwara state on Wednesday.
RRBN also registered some practitioners who are yet to pay their registration fees to the board all in its bid to guard against the activities of quacks in the profession and prevent misdiagnosis.
In a chat with journalists during the exercise, head of the team, Ebere Onwuegbuchu, noted that many of the outfits engage quacks in form of diagnostic technicians and student anatomists to operate radiographic machines.
He said the unit discovered that operations of some diagnostic outfits did not meet the required standard and were carried out in residential areas which were not conducive and safe to the staff and residents around the locations.
“We’re not happy with what we noticed as some of the facilities visited were operated by quacks who are not registered or licensed by the board carrying out radiographic practices”, he added.
He therefore called on Nigerians to ensure that radiographic facilities been patronised are manned by qualified and registered radiographers to avoid ugly consequences suffered by families when attended to by quacks.
The genetic harm suffered from such action, he noted, comes with future consequences which may result in deformity of children or manifest in other ailments that are not immediate.
According to him, “Radiography is a medical profession that involves the use of radiant energy to diagnose or treat patients when medically indicated. The equipment that are handled by radiographers includes; conventional or dental X-ray, CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, among others.
“When this radiant energy was not properly used it can lead to bodily or genetic harm through mutation of the gene carrying information. It can also lead to cancer when those who are not properly trained, certified and licenced carry out these examinations because they may be giving radiation dose that can induce changes in the cells of individuals.
“If unqualified person operated Ultrasound examination, the report he issues is what the clinicians would work on, and if the report is misleading, the treatment would not give desired results,” he noted.
