IAEA/RCA Regional Training Course on Radiation Protection and Safety in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology will be held in Mumbai, India in 17-21 November 2003.
The purpose of the course is to provide participants with specialized training on the safety requirements of the BSS (basic safety standards), as well as in organizing and implementing a radiation protection programme to comply with these requirements in the practice of diagnostic and interventional radiology. The ultimate objective is to develop national sustainable education and training system on radiation protection and safety in diagnostic and interventional radiology departments in participating Member States, and to facilitate exchange of information, experiences and cooperation.

The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) estimates that medical applications of radiation account for about 95% of the exposure to radiation from man-made sources and about 12% of total exposure. Furthermore, there is continuing increase in the medical applications of X-rays, including high-dose procedures such as the use of radiation in interventional procedures that replace major surgery. Interventional radiology can lead to very high doses, both to patients and to medical and paramedical staff, in some cases exceeding thresholds for deterministic effects.

With computed tomography (CT) becoming faster and faster, it is becoming easy tool to be used in many medical examinations and there are groups advocating it as a whole body screening method, which due to the relatively high radiation doses may not be justified. In recent years significant progress has been witnessed in developing dose reduction methodologies in diagnostic radiology without compromising on image quality. International basic safety standards (BSS) require education and training to achieve the standards of safety as laid down in the BSS.