RismadarVoice Reporters
March 29, 2026
The Association of Radiographers of Nigeria has raised alarm over a proposed legislation before the National Assembly, warning that it could undermine the profession and transfer its statutory functions to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
President of the Association, Dr Musa Dembele, made the position known during a press conference held at the Kano NUJ Press Centre on Saturday.
Dembele described the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026 (HB 2695), as a direct threat to the existence of radiography in Nigeria.
“This is not a reform but a targeted, calculated, and existential assault on the profession of radiography,” he said.
According to him, provisions in the bill, particularly Section 8(1), seek to grant exclusive regulatory authority to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, a move he argued would effectively strip the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria of its mandate.
He further alleged that the bill attempts to redefine radiology in a manner that eliminates radiography as an independent scientific discipline, thereby placing radiographers under the control of a council lacking expertise in the field.
“The bill seeks to legally erase radiography as an independent profession and subject radiographers to the disciplinary authority of individuals with no background in radiographic science,” he stated.
On financial implications, the association criticized provisions mandating that 70 per cent of practising fees be shared with the Nigerian Medical Association, describing it as exploitative.
“This reveals the true motive — financial colonization,” Dembele added.
The group also expressed concerns over a related bill, HB 2699, which proposes amendments to the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria.
It warned that the inclusion of medical doctors on the board could undermine professional autonomy and compromise self-regulation.
Dembele cautioned against what he described as excessive ministerial control, noting that it could politicise professional regulation and weaken standards within the healthcare sector.
The association maintained that globally, radiography is regulated by practitioners within the profession, citing countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia as examples.
It, therefore, urged the National Assembly to reject the bills and instead convene a stakeholders’ summit to develop a regulatory framework that recognises the independence and contributions of all health professions.
The Association added that it aligns with other health sector groups, including the Joint Health Sector Unions, in opposing the proposed legislation.
