The growing demand for medical imaging procedures has caused an automatic spike in diagnostic investigations, rising complication trends and a nationwide manpower shortage, a radiography expert has said.
Air Commodore Bolaji Israel Jayeoba made the assertion on Monday while delivering his keynote address at the first induction and oath-taking ceremony of radiography graduands of Osun State University, Osogbo.
Jayeoba, speaking on the theme “Radiography Practice in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities,” said the complexity of radiography had led many institutions to establish full faculties rather than departments for the discipline.
He explained that radiography practice could be categorised into four layers and four broad disciplines, each requiring depth of knowledge and expertise.
The keynote speaker stressed that “radiographers must be capable of predicting risks of side effects, implementing preventive measures and empowering patients through participatory service delivery.”
Highlighting major challenges in the sector, he listed the “rising demand for imaging procedures, increased volume of investigations, growing complexity of cases and a severe shortage of trained professionals.”
He noted that with only 5,000 radiographers serving a population of 200 million, Nigeria currently has one radiographer to 40,000 Nigerians, a ratio he described as deeply inadequate.
Jayeoba added that “inadequate infrastructure, epileptic power supply and underutilisation of manpower remained persistent barriers to effective radiography practice nationwide.”
He cited available records showing that Nigeria had 183 CT machines in 2018, with Lagos State having 33, Rivers 13, Oyo 11, Anambra 10, Ogun 8 and Kano 8; while the country had only 58 MRI machines as of 2016.
According to him, other specific challenges include human error arising from manpower fatigue, lack of standardised working environments, paucity of facilities, absence of diagnostic reference levels, inadequate specialised education and poor remuneration.”
He warned that the consequences of these shortcomings included “increased medical migration, mass exit of young and experienced practitioners, epileptic service delivery, low local investment and exploitation of gaps by foreign investors.”
Jayeoba outlined opportunities in general radiography, radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, industrial radiography, magnetic resonance imaging and computerised tomography, urging graduands to remain open to continuous learning.
He called on government to invest in radiography equipment, saying, “Failure may occur if there is no investment in that area. In doing this, practitioners must be part of the process.”
Vice Chancellor of UNIOSUN, Prof Odunayo Clement Adebooye, represented by Prof Adetunji Lawrence Kehinde, commended the presence of the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria as a testament to the university’s commitment to quality.
He encouraged the graduands to see their induction as entry into a field that plays a critical role in modern healthcare and charged them to uphold professionalism and excellence.
Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Prof David Adekunle, welcomed the inductees and said the department had grown significantly through the support of the university, staff and students.
He described the induction as a milestone in the history of the college and reiterated its mission to nurture compassionate health professionals committed to excellence and humanity.
Adekunle urged the graduands to prioritise patient safety, saying, “Be guided with the ethics of the profession and work with all medical professionals for the betterment of medicine.”
Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria, RRBN, Prof Mark Okeji, represented by Christian Onyekelu, congratulated the graduands and urged them to take their internship seriously as a prerequisite for full registration.
He advised the new radiographers to keep learning and said the board, together with institutions, was working tirelessly to curb quackery.
President of the Association of Radiographers of Nigeria, ARN, Dr Musa Yusuf Dambele, welcomed the newly inducted radiographers and urged them to make their presence felt in their workplaces.
He also appealed to the university to grant automatic employment to the overall best graduating student, Ayomidotun Olawale Akinsola.
