Radiotherapy practice in an unregulated environment: Call for joint action

There are five radiotherapy centres and thousands of diagnostic x-ray units in Nigeria. There is a five-year old radiation protection decree, which is yet to be implemented. Consequently, radiotherapy and radio-diagnosis are practiced in the country without any form of regulatory guidelines backed by law. This paper is a call for the concerted effort of the WHO and the IAEA to persuade the Nigerian Government to establish the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority. This will ensure safe applications of atomic energy in the national heath delivery system. (author)