The Asian Age: Mumbai: Tuesday,
September 20, 2016.
Believe it or
not, but students and 34 staff members from the BMC-run Sion Hospital’s
cardiology department are exposed to radiation as there are no
thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) badges there.
It is
mandatory for all the cardiology departments in private, civic and state-run
hospitals to have TLD badges, which are sanctioned by the Atomic Energy
Regulatory Board (AERB), but Sion Hospital is functioning without TLD badges
for the past three months.
“The students
and technicians in this medical college-cum-hospital have been conducting CT
scans, X rays and sonographies in the absence of these TLD badges for the past
three months,” read the AERB response to an RTI query submitted by an applicant
who wants to stay anonymous.
A TLD
measures radiation exposure.
The TLD is an
essential measure for the protection of medical staff working with radiation
equipment in any hospital. The shocking revelation came through an RTI query.
When
contacted, BMC’s director of major civic hospitals Dr Avinash Supe said, “This
is necessary according to the guidelines set by AERB. They should have badges.
It is incorrect if they are functioning without badges. I will probe the matter
and get them badges.”
AERB has also
issued a letter to the hospital seeking an explanation. The purpose of the TLD
badges is to measure high radiation exposure, which can be the cause of cancer
in those exposed. According to Indian Radiological and Imaging Association
secretary Dr Jignesh Thakkar, “AERB has set this up as mandatory. I don’t know
why it is not being followed at Sion Hospital.”
He added that
BMC-run hospitals have too much of a workload. “If the badge reports high
radiation, the person exposed to it is sent on leave for two-three days.
Regular exposure to such rays can cause cancer and blindness, and even affect
fertility,” he explained.
Needless to
say, students and technicians at Sion Hospital seem to be living in constant
fear. The head of AERB’s Radiological Safety Division said that they conduct
regular inspections to ensure hospitals give TLD badges to all students and
employees, since a failure to do so is a punishable offence.
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