T&T to join world atomic energy body

The Government will pay $1.5 million annually for membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency. This was revealed by Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan during yesterday’s post- Cabinet news conference at the Coco Reef Hotel, Crowne Point, Tobago. Khan issued the call to join the agency after hundreds of patients at the Brian Lara Cancer Treatment Centre were exposed to over radiation a few years ago.

He listed the benefits of such membership as:

• Ensure appropriate use of ionising radiation;
• strengthen the national regulatory infrastructure for the control of radiation sources;
• strengthen and update technical capabilities for the protection of the health and safety of workers exposed through occupation to ionising radiation;
• radiological protection of patients during medical exposures;
• strengthening of the national infrastructure and regulatory framework pursuing management of radioactive waste in Latin American and Caribbean member countries;
• strengthening the national systems for preparedness and responses to nuclear and radiological emergencies: and
• supporting radiation protection infrastructure through education and training.

Public Administration Minister Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan said Cabinet also agreed to an increase in the number of returning national scholars from 400 to 563. She said those people would be absorbed in the Public Service, where they would work for two years as associate professionals before securing permanent jobs within the Public Service. Seepersad-Bachan said from the 563, about 160 were teachers, including library science teachers.
She said under the initiative, some 120 medical doctors had been absorbed by the Ministry of Health.