The Uganda Atomic Energy Council has mandated the closure of x-ray services at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital due to the leakage of radiation, according to a 19 June article in the Observer.
Council officials issued a notice citing the hospital x-ray section's disregard of safety precautions regarding the operation of x-ray machines. They stated that the leakage exposed personnel to high levels of radiation, which could trigger negative health effects such as cancer, skin burns, and cardiovascular disease, according to a report in the Daily Monitor.
Roughly 80 patients per day require an x-ray exam at the hospital; the lack of x-ray services has consequently restricted the hospital's capacity to offer various medical procedures and diagnoses.
"Incidentally, we even get patients coming from the town and they are referred here because they are not able to pay for the private service in town and we are prompted to send them back because our x-ray services are temporarily unavailable," Hospital Director Dr. Nathan Onyachi stated in the Daily Monitor article.
