Eight more states to get Directorates of Radiation Safety
Faced with difficulties in regulation of the increasing number of medical diagnostic X-ray facilities across the country, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has taken up the matter with the State Governments / Union Territories for formation of State level Directorates of Radiation Safety (DRS) under the Health & Family Welfare Department of the respective State Governments/ Union Territories.
In addition to the four states which currently have funtional DRS (Kerala, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh and Tripura), eight more states will soon have their own DRS.
The Health Minister, J P Nadda recently informed the Lok Sabha that AERB has signed MoUs for establishing DRS with Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Arunachal Pradesh.
AERB’s approach towards regulation of these facilities emphasizes ensuring safety built into the design of the equipment apart from operational safety. The regulatory control is exercised on the suppliers/ manufacturers to ensure maintenance of quality assurance during manufacturing/ sale of such units to give satisfactory performance during use at the place of end users. This is in line with the approach followed across the world.
State Governments/ UTs are not authorised to do so. However, AERB has taken steps for enhancing the regulatory coverage for diagnostic x-ray facilities and there has been an encouraging response. AERB issues warning letters / show cause notices to certain non-complying institutions.
Health Minister Nadda also assured the legislator that the radiation hazards involved in such facilities are very low, to cause any unacceptable health risks. Such units do not emit any radiation unless they are energised and no emergency situations are envisaged at such facilities from the radiological safety stand point.
Source: PIB