Radiation Control Directorate: Non-operation poses threat to public safety
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is in possession of internal documents dating as far back as 2003, which reveal that the Department of Health's Directorate for Radiation Control is almost non-operational. According to the documents, the Radionuclide Sub-Directorate has, due to understaffing, been unable to investigate 358 lost radiation devices across the country, and in terms of enforcing compliance to users of such devices, more than "398 authority holders did not renew their authorities" and are therefore illegally in possession of the devices. Broken down by region, the documents reveal that 73 of these are in the Durban region, 226 in the Pretoria region and 99 in the Cape Town region.
A copy of the documents is available upon request.
Nationally, 64% of inspections of the over 15 000 radionuclide devices exist because of the chronic vacancy rate which has climbed up to 50%. In KwaZulu-Natal, an alarming 88% of due inspections are outstanding. The inspection backlogs across the three regions combined total a daunting 10 378 for the inspection periods ranging from the yearly cycle to inspections expected at every three year cycle, which the Department of Health erroneously believes a Directorate budgeted to have ten inspectors nationally, even without vacancies, should be able to achieve.
The section in the Directorate most affected is the Radionuclide Sub-Directorate. The Radionuclide Sub-Directorate has a 66% vacancy rate, only having a Deputy-Director and an administrative clerk responsible for regulating 2712 licence holders and over 15 000 radionuclides across the country. A radionuclide (or isotope) is an atom with an unstable nucleus undergoing radioactive decay, and emits gamma rays. It has many applications in the medical sector, such as in x-ray machines, and in other industrial applications. The Radionuclide Sub-Directorate, regulate radionuclides in South Africa, 90% of which are used as non-medical applications in industry.
The DA believe the collapse of the Radionuclide Sub-Directorate could possibly have major implications for national security. The lack of regulatory control potentially allows for criminal elements to use and trade radioactive materials for illicit purposes, as was possibly the case when the media recently reported the arrest by the Hawks of four men trying to sell an industrial radiation device in Pretoria earlier this year. Illegitimate possession, loss or damage of radionuclides may result in severe health risks stemming from radiation poisoning, which causes tissue damage, cancer and even death. The current situation is a serious indictment on the ANC-government, as it will result or has already resulted in South African citizens being exposed to unnecessary radiation and danger.
The DA believes that the direct cause of the Directorate's collapse, amongst other things, is predominantly the reluctance of the Department to fill vacant posts promptly. Since 2003, the Directorate has made numerous attempts to bring to the Department of Health's attention the desperate situation faced by it pertaining to the serious vacancy rate of inspectors and senior staff and the consequent proliferation of inspection backlogs that the Directorate is mandated to carry out at every one, two and three yearly cycle.
The DA will be writing to the Chairperson of the Health Portfolio Committee, Monwabisi Goqwana, requesting that he urgently request the Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, appear before the committee to explain what measures he plans to take to recover the 358 lost radiation devices across the country and whether he has any plans to address the effective collapse of the Directorate for Radiation Control.
Statement issued by Mike Waters, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of health, September 12 2010
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