NewsDetail
The Radiation Safety Section at the Occupational Health and Safety Department (OHS) in Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) recently organized a conference titled: “Summit on Radiation Safety for Healthcare Providers”.
The two-day conference, which gathered as many as 200 participants from HMC, was the first such summit to take place in Qatar. Experts in occupational safety and radiation physicists from the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan presented on related topics during the conference.
Dr. Huda Al Naemi, Executive Director of OHS, stated that the conference aimed to boost awareness and shed light on precautions against radiation use in healthcare. Experts at the event also engaged in discussions and shared insights about the latest developments in the field of radiation safety and the precautionary measures that can be taken to prevent harm.
“We live in an environment full of all types of radiation. Some of this radiation comes from natural sources, such as radon gas that naturally exists in the atmosphere comprising 37 percent of the ambient gases, and others are of non-natural origin, which occur as a result of the increasing use of radiation in medical diagnosis,” she explained.
Al Naemi added that for this reason, HMC has decided to create a division specialized in radiation safety to ensure that radiation doses are kept within the internationally approved thresholds in order to protect patients, technicians and physicians against the potential hazards of exposure to radiation.
Among other topics, the conference featured the negative impact of over-exposure to ionizing radiation (x-rays, gamma rays) which may lead to eye cataract and cancer, and non-ionizing radiation (electromagnetic radiation). Other related topics discussed at the conference included the use of radiation in the industrial, agricultural and research domains.
Speakers at the conference also reviewed the peaceful use of atomic energy as a clean source of energy, but stressed the importance of safety requirements that should be put in place in nuclear reactors spread all over the world to avoid possible human errors that could lead to long-term damage to the environment.
