NNRA CONDUCTS A SAFETY AUDIT INSPECTION OF A NEW RADIOTHERAPY CENTER ESTABLISHED IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

NNRA CONDUCTS A SAFETY AUDIT INSPECTION OF A NEW RADIOTHERAPY CENTER ESTABLISHED IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

In line with NNRA’s guiding value of being a competent and credible public authority in the area of nuclear and radiological safety and security, a radiotherapy inspection was carried out at Asi Ukpo Oncology Center in Calabar, Cross River State on 27^th – 28^th January 2021.

The Safety Audit Inspection was to assess the facility’s compliance with the requirements of the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act (The Act), Nigeria Basic Ionizing Radiation Regulations (NiBIRR) 2003, Nigeria Radiation Safety in Radiotherapy Regulations 2006, and other extant Regulations related to Radiotherapy.

The inspection was conducted by inspectors from the Headquarters and South-South Zonal Office. It involved the graded approach in authorizations of radiotherapy, hence the application for the Design and Construction Certificate by Asi Ukpo’s Oncology. The NNRA authorization for a radiotherapy center involves the following stages:

1. Design and Construction
2. Licence to import the Radiotherapy Equipment (Linear Accelerator or Cobalt 60 or Brachytheraphy
3. Commissioning Licence
4. Licence to Operate Radiotherapy Facility
5. Decommissioning Licence. ( When equipment is no longer in use)