Speaker
Description
Background and Mission Purpose
In November 2020, amidst the specific challenges of the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic , an IAEA Technical Cooperation Expert Mission was conducted to assess the nuclear medicine situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mandated under project ZA16014, "Sustaining Nuclear Medicine Infrastructure for the Improvement of the Management of Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases," the audit was carried out by Dr. Renaud Guignard. The primary site of evaluation was the Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa (CUK), under the local leadership of Pr. Symphorien Ditu Mpandamadi.
Objectives
The mission was structured around three pivotal objectives:
- Technical evaluation of the performance of a newly installed Mediso Anyscan dual-head SPECT gamma-camera.
- Quantitative and qualitative assessment of nuclear medicine (NM) clinical activities.
- Identification of urgent needs regarding radiopharmacy, radioprotection, and specialized clinical equipment.
Historical Context and Findings
The DRC has a long culture of nuclear medicine, birth of the CGEA in 1959 and the first radioimmunological procedures in 1970. However, the service has faced prolonged interruptions due to socio-political instability and equipment failures. At the time of the audit, the previous Siemens E-Cam camera had been non-functional since 2016, and critical infrastructure, such as the Comecer hot cell and thyroid counters, were out of service. Qualitative evaluation using the IAEA QUANUM tool revealed an overall score of 51.6%, with clinical services scoring lowest at 40.0%.
SWOT Analysis
The mission identified significant strengths, notably the visionary leadership and high motivation of the CUK staff, coupled with historical expertise and ongoing IAEA support. Conversely, weaknesses included a lack of a stable functional budget and limited recognition of NM benefits by local health authorities. Threats were primarily external, involving unreliable infrastructure (power and IT) and heavy dependence on foreign radiopharmaceutical providers.
Recommendations and Strategic Roadmap
The audit concluded with a prioritized roadmap:
- Top Priority: immediate completion of acceptance and reference tests for the new Mediso SPECT device.
- Urgent: comprehensive staff training for new SPECT procedures—ideally in French—and fixing hot cell software issues.
- Short-term (<6 months): procurement of essential radioprotection gear (shielded syringes, leaded aprons) and implementation of cardiac imaging.
- Long-term (2-5 years): transitioning toward multimodality with SPECT-CT and PET-CT installations to address cardiovascular and oncological diseases.
This mission highlights the critical importance of regular expert audits to bridge the gap between technological installation and sustainable clinical performance in medium-income countries.
| Track | Situation of Nuclear Medicine in Low- and Medium-Income Countries |
|---|---|
| Presentation type | Oral |