2nd
International Conference in Medical Physics on Radiation Oncology and Imaging (ICMPROI-2014),
held in Dhaka from 20th -22nd August, 2014 was an extraordinary
experience for me. This conference was jointly organized by Bangladesh Medical
Physics Society (BMPS), Association of Medical Physicists of India (AMPI), and
Nepalese Association of Medical Physicists (NAMP). Virtually I was representing
all of these three nations- Nepal as my motherland, Bangladesh as my place of
study and also as a member of BMPS and India as my prospective place for
postgraduate research.
With
more than 300 delegates, national and international, it was an exotic event.
Speakers were invited from International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA), Asia-Oceania
Federation of Medical Physicists (AFOMP), Secondary Standard Dosimetry Lab (SSDL),
foreign Universities and Research Institutes. Delegates came from 23 nations. Mr. Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali,
Hon’ble Foreign Minister, MP, Peoples Republic of Bangladesh was the chief
guest and Dr. Ferdinand
Von Weyhe, German Charge d’ Affairs for
Bangladesh was a guest of Honor.
In
this 3 days conference, I took an opportunity to host cultural program and
other scientific sessions. NAMP president and organizing Vice President Mr. P P
Chaurasia delivered a welcome speech and also presented his scientific paper on
second day of the conference while Nepalese Oncologist Dr. Samir Sharma,
co-chaired a scientific session. Another Nepalese delegate Mr. Shrawan Kumar
presented his paper during a scientific session.
Beside
these regular formalities of any conference, this event has been vital for
strengthening the relationship among the medical physicists in South Asia.
Delegates from Pakistan, Srilanka, India, Bangladesh and Nepal were highlighted
the importance of regional co-operation among the Medical Physicists and
Medical Physics organization for better
and quality cancer treatment in this region.
This
conference has brought together the Cancer experts, Oncologists, medical
physicists, technologists, administrators, policy makers etc to engage on a
discussion towards quality treatment of cancer in this region and the role of
medical physics on it.
Particularly,
the meeting between AMPI, BMPS and NAMP has been fruitful towards collaboration
in knowledge sharing, accreditation Bangladeshi Medical Physicists by India
etc.This conference has been crucial for digging up the issues related to
radiation protection, quality assurance in radio diagnosis, radio therapy,
nuclear medicine and recent development in biomedical Engineering.
Participants
emphasized the role of medical physicists in quality treatment delivery to the
patients. They stressed that with the growing complexity of cancer treatment,
the role of medical physicists has been increasing in radio diagnosis,
radiotherapy and radiation protection. They informed their respective
governments that International Labour Organization has recognized medical
physicists are health professional basically involved in quality assurance of
imaging and therapy, radiation protection, dosimetry, acceptance and
commissioning of machines such as Medical Linacs, Brachytherapy Machines, Co-60
teletherapy machine, CT Scan machine, MRI etc. They are also involved in
academics and research. Medical physics is basically the application of physics
in medicine.
India
is far ahead of its neighbors in Cancer treatment and radiation therapy. It has
better infrastructure, advanced machines with large number of Oncologists,
medical physicists, technologists and other related professional. It alone has
around 1000 medical physicists working in different hospitals, universities,
BARC, research institutes etc. Medical physics is taught in 8 different
institutes in India. On the other hand, the number of oncologists, medical
physicists and other radiation related health professional is very low in
Bangladesh and Nepal. Bangladesh has around 30 and Nepal has 8 medical
physicists till date.
Only
Gono University offers Bsc and Msc Medical physics education in Bangladesh. Government
hospitals have not yet to create the
posts for medical physicists in Bangladesh, Gono graduates are getting jobs in
private hospitals, medical equipment companies, university and in research.
Lately the government has shown interest to create post for medical physicists.
Prof. Deen Mohd. Noorul
Huq,
Directorate
general of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Peoples’ Republic
of Bangladesh said that the government would keep medical physics education and
the role of medical physicists in top priority. It will be a step forward for
BMPS in its effort to make Medical Physics a reputed profession in Bangladesh.
As
Nepal has only 6 cancer centers with limited number of medical Linacs, Brachy
Units, IMRT and other therapy and diagnostic equipment, it has not felt the
pressure regarding the need of Medical physicists till date. However, with new
cancer centers, modern equipment and necessity of precise radiation dose
delivery, radiation protection issues in rise the medical physicists will grow
in demand in Nepal. Also medical physics is not recognized as a intensive
discipline in Nepal. No university offers intensive learning in medical physics
except that it is taught as an optional paper for Msc Physics students in
Tribhuvan University.
Under
this backdrop, it has been high time for Government of Nepal to formulate
national radiation protection law, work out to establish medical physics
department in hospitals using radiation particularly in Cancer Centers, run an
intensive medical physics program in graduate level, help NAMP to conduct
trainings, research, awareness and other programs.
The writer is the member of Bangladesh
Medical Physics Society and student of Gono Bishwobidyalay, Savar Dhaka,
Bangladesh.
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