Radiographers lament brain drain, poor facilities in hospitals

From Jude Chinedu, Enugu

Radiographers in Enugu State have decried the growing brain drain, inadequate diagnostic equipment, and poor funding of the health sector, warning that the challenges are undermining patient care and effective healthcare delivery.

They called on the federal and state governments to improve funding, upgrade diagnostic facilities, and provide better working conditions to discourage trained professionals from leaving the country.

The concerns were raised during activities marking the 2026 World Radiography Day, organised by the Association of Radiographers of Nigeria (ARN), Enugu Branch.

Delivering the keynote lecture, entitled, “Upholding patient care in radiography practice,” Associate Professor Livinus Abonyi of the Federal University of Allied Health Sciences, Enugu, said patients’ welfare must remain the overriding consideration in healthcare delivery, regardless of the challenges confronting practitioners.

Abonyi identified inadequate manpower, obsolete diagnostic equipment, poor remuneration, and administrative bottlenecks as major obstacles to quality patient care.

He lamented that many hospitals operated with far fewer radiographers than required, resulting in excessive workloads, while outdated equipment prolonged patients’ waiting time and delayed diagnosis.

On the growing brain drain, he said the situation had become alarming as young radiographers were leaving the country immediately after completing their training, internship, and National Youth Service Corps programme.

“We are training radiographers in droves, but as they are graduating and being inducted and finishing their mandatory internship at NYSC, they are planning on where to go. If the UK is not possible, the US is not possible, Australia is possible. If Australia is not possible, Canada is possible,” he said.

He also faulted administrative bottlenecks that compel patients in some tertiary hospitals to seek radiological investigations outside the facilities, describing the practice as unnecessary hardship for patients.

On quackery, Abonyi urged Nigerians to question the credentials of those operating radiological facilities and report unqualified practitioners to the appropriate authorities.

Warning about the dangers of improper radiation use, he said: “Radiation is something that is more dangerous than a gun, because if a gun is killing you, you are counting them. You can see them practically. But this one is more dangerous as a gun, and it kills. But by the time it’s killing, nobody will know.”

He called for increased government investment in healthcare, improved remuneration, and the provision of modern diagnostic equipment in teaching hospitals and other public health facilities.

Earlier, ARN Chairman, Enugu Branch, Casmire Ugwuja, said the annual celebration provided an opportunity to engage policymakers and draw attention to challenges confronting the profession. He said the association had been reaching out to government officials, including the Commissioner for Health and Permanent Secretary, to seek solutions to the problems, particularly the migration of skilled radiographers.

Ugwuja added that the association was working with the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria to check quackery and enforce professional standards.

Activities marking the celebration included a road walk from Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), Parklane, to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, venue of the keynote lecture.

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