Spread the love
A consultant radiologist and chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) adhoc committee on Radiation and Radiodiagnosis, Dr. Ododo Bernard Itopa has called for a workable public private partnership (PPP) framework to ensure adequate service delivery in tertiary health institutions.
Dr. Ododo made the call while speaking with newsmen in Lokoja on the 2018 International Day of Radiology.
He called for more collaborative efforts by the government at all levels, cooperate individuals and organizations to provide state of the art radio diagnostic equipment to the hospitals where radiologists work in order to ensure provision of efficient and effective radiological diagnosis towards early detection and treatment of various heart-related diseases.
“Computed tomographic machine that is very vital in evaluating the ailing heart is not readily available and accessible in most hospital. Where available, the brand are rather too low in slices for such examination.
“At least, 64 – slice CT scanner is needed in testing the heart effectively and as of today, not more than four of such in functional state are available in Nigeria both in private or public set up. There is need for greater public -private – partnership framework at ensuring that this capital intensive services is made available in all our tertiary health facilities across the country so that Nigerian radiologists can offer their specialized services as comparable to anywhere in the world,” he said.
He bemoaned the spate of operation of quacks in Radiodiagnosis practice in Nigeria, stating that a legislation is needed to define what minimum level of requisite training and certification a person needed to obtain to run a radiodiagnostic set up, ultrasound and radiographic reporting inclusive as inaccurate diagnosis leads to wrong management that carries grave consequence on the patient.
“A radiologist is a medical specialist who after minimum of six years as undergraduate training to become a medical doctor further spent another minimum of six years postgraduate training in an accredited institutions across the country and beyond during which three levels of rigorous examinations must have been passed so as to get certified as specialist to conduct and interprets all modalities for body imaging to diagnose accurately or treat ailments of the body.”
The umbrella body of radiologists in Nigeria (ARIN) and NMA has lined up several activities in 36 states and FCT to mark the 2018 IDoR.
Spread the love
