Embu Level 5 Teaching and Referral Hospital’s X-ray department has been closed indefinitely for leaking dangerous radiation.
Patients requiring services are paying exorbitant fees in private hospitals or forced to travel to far to Runyenjes and Ishiara.
Radiographers at the hospital led by Afred Njeru discovered that one of the doors to the X-ray room was not secure.
Safety officers confirmed the door was emitting radiation rays as it was substandard, exposing staff and patients to the risk of developing complex diseases.
“So as we celebrate the World Radiography Day, we are saying our safety is our priority and thus we are avoiding the radiation in order not to have side effects which include cancer. Patients should not be exposed to radiation,” Njeru said.
The radiographers expressed appreciation that the hospital had taken quick measures to rectify the situation and called on the county government to hasten the repairs.
The Embu county government has set up X-ray departments in three hospitals saving patients who need the service high costs and travel.
The X-rays are in Embu Level 5 Teaching and Referral Hospital, at Runyenjes Level 4 and Ishiara Level 4 hospitals.
Njeru said over 2,000 X-rays are taken a month in all the hospitals, most of them at Embu Level 5.
He said there are a serious shortage of radiographers, with the entire county having just 15.
The county needs about 25 radiographers, he said.
