Madagascar is not a nuclear country as we do not have so far a Nuclear Power Plant, nevertheless, several radioactive sources, emitting ionizing radiation devices as well as a great quantity of Normally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) are present, hence the use of several ionizing radiation detectors in the country.
The SSDL Madagascar was created in 1993 in the Dosimetry and Radiation Protection department of the “Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires (INSTN-Madagascar) which is an institute devoted to the promotion of Nuclear Technologies. Since then, our laboratory calibrates annually around twenty detectors used in different activity areas such as medical, industrial, mining, research etc.
Apart from the detectors used at national level, being a unique SSDL in the Indian Ocean, the SSDL-Madagascar calibrates several equipments used in some countries in our region. The sustainability of our SSDL is based on three factors including training, intercomparison exercises and periodic updating of the said lab.
The sustainability of our SSDL is the guarantee of an effective detection at the national level by ensuring that each used equipment provides correct and reliable exposure values to ionizing radiation. In the field of medicine such as radiotherapy for instance, the support of SSDL Madagascar is essential because it contributes to ensuring that the doses delivered to patients are correct and so the planed treatment are more effective. Thus, we can say that the sustainability of SSDL Madagascar closely contributes to the protection of all workers exposed to ionizing radiation, as well as patients and offers therefore a better quality of life for the population.
Prof RAJAOBELISON joël (in black tie), Director General of the INSTN-Madagascar and Dr RALAIVELO Mbolatiana Anjarasoa Luc, Head of the Dosimetry and Radiation Protection Department
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