Doon Medical College Finally gets back its AERB Approval

Dehradun: After much thought having gone into resumption, Government Doon Medical College Hospital’s radiology department has received permission to operate CT scan machine, digital X-ray, normal X-ray machine and bone marrow densitometer (BMD) from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB)

The machines of DMC and GMC Mussoorie have been granted operation licenses for the next five years by the regulator of radiation safety norms.

In October, in the absence of mandatory clearances and prevailing radiation violations, the enforcement team of AERB, had sealed one X-ray and one mammography machine and posted warning of seizing CT scan, digital X-ray and ultrasound machine, if safety violations did not comply to norms within a one month period. The AERB team had also disclosed that the machines of the radiology department of the Uttarakhand Hospital were functioning bereft of registration.

During the inspection, it was also observed that the technicians were not wearing lead aprons or the mandatory Thermo Luminescent Dosimeter (TLD) badge, used for measuring ionizing radiation exposure. Shaken by the warning by the atomic safety regulator, the administration of the medical college has taken on the compliance seriously and got into the process of installing of safety norms

Mahendra Bhandari, the radiation safety officer (RSO) of the hospital, informed Pioneer that 13 TLD badges and lead aprons have been purchased and those the personnel handling the machines were now using them. He said that only after formalities for registration of machine licenses was completed that AERB gave permission to them for operating their CT scan, Digital X-ray, X-Ray, and BMD.

Dr. Pradip Bharati Gupta, Principal of the college, informed that the process of seeking permission to the sealed X-ray and mammography machines has started. “The approval of AREB would come soon,”. With the AERB consent these machines too would be made operational, he added.

Radiation safety measures are important to minimize the harmful effects of the X rays which are ionizing radiations, observers said.The rays have negative effects on The Pituitary, the master gland which is most vulnerable to such radiations they added to the Pioneer.