Specialists from twenty-one countries in Africa have for the first time formed an African Association of Radiopharmacy (AfrAR) to strengthen their capacities and better meet national needs for the safe preparation and administration of radiopharmaceuticals used in diagnosing, treating and managing cancer and other diseases.
The
association, formed last month with the support of the IAEA, the Society of
Radiopharmaceutical Sciences (SRS) and the European Association of Nuclear
Medicine (EANM), will contribute to the development of the radiopharmaceutical
field in the region, which currently faces a number of challenges. These
include a severe shortage of qualified radiopharmacists and insufficient health
regulations to ensure the quality and safe production of radiopharmaceuticals
suitable for administration to patients.
Currently,
about 70 percent of the qualified radiopharmacists in Africa work in only two
countries, Egypt and South Africa.
To
read more please visit:
Source: IAEA