The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) organized the International Conference on Radiation Protection in Medicine from 11 – 15 December 2017 at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna – Austria. The theme for the Conference was “Radiation Protection in Medicine: Achieving Change in Practice”. This conference served as a follow up to the 2012 International Conference on Radiation Protection in Medicine, held in Bonn – Germany. The 2012 conference which was themed “Setting the Scene for the Next Decade” brought about the Bonn Call-for-Action.

The conference, co-sponsored by the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization in cooperation with several international organizations, was directed at a wide audience with interest in radiation protection in medicine. These include:

  • Health professionals, e.g. physicians practicing in radiological imaging, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy; referring medical practitioners.
  • Medical physicists, radiographers and technologists; radiation protection professionals and engineers.
  • Healthcare managers, health economists and risk communication experts.
  • Representatives of patient organizations and manufacturers; health researchers and academics.
  • Representatives of health authorities and regulatory authorities with a special responsibility in this field.

The conference was attended by participants from all corners of the world, including Africa, who made oral and poster presentations. The African contingent had participants from countries such as Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Tunisia.

President of FAMPO, Dr. Taofeeq Ige, leveraged on the platform created by the conference to hold a meeting with delegates amongst the African contingent (see insert picture). The meeting aimed at fostering collaboration and cooperation and advancing medical physics and radiation protection in medicine in Africa.

FAMPO wishes to thank the organizers and sponsors for inviting delegates from Africa to participate in the conference.