The progress registered by the country in nuclear medicine have to be extended to the poor, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar said today.
There is a need to strike a balance between augmentation of technology and equipment to provide nuclear medicine facilities at a reasonable cost to the common man, he said.
The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has carved out a Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT) from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre to marshal human and material resources to promote radio-isotope applications by capitalising on infrastructure and expertise available in DAE.
BRIT has been working to further the frontiers of radiation technology in the production and supply of radiation sources for cancer treatment and non-destructive testing, Kakodkar said.
Nuclear medicine services are being extended to new districts and new therapeutic and diagnostic tools are being developed, he said.
Noting that scientists in the sector were opting to go abroad because of the lack of employment at the proper level, Kakodkar said availability of trained professionals in nuclear medicine is an issue that needs to be looked into.
He was delivering the Homi Jehangir Bhabha Oration at the annual conference of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and symposium of the Indo-American Society of Nuclear Medicine organised by the Tata Hospital here.