Pediatr Radiol DOI 10.1007/s00247-011-2081-8 REVIEW Paediatric radiology seen from Africa. Part I: providing diagnostic imaging to a young population Savvas Andronikou & Kieran McHugh & Nuraan Abdurahman & Bryan Khoury & Victor Mngomezulu & William E. Brant & Ian Cowan & Mignon McCulloch & Nathan Ford Received: 9 October 2010 /Revised: 30 December 2010 /Accepted: 14 March 2011 # Springer-Verlag 2011 Abstract Paediatric radiology requires dedicated equip- role in the treatment of these children, but is expensive and ment, specific precautions related to ionising radiation, and difficult to provide. The World Health Organisation specialist knowledge. Developing countries face difficulties initiatives, of which the World Health Imaging System for in providing adequate imaging services for children. In Radiography (WHIS-RAD) unit is one result, needs to many African countries, children represent an increasing expand into other areas such as the provision of maintenance proportion of the population, and additional challenges servicing. New initiatives by groups such as Rotary and the follow from extreme living conditions, poverty, lack of World Health Imaging Alliance to install WHIS-RAD units in parental care, and exposure to tuberculosis, HIV, pneumo- developing countries and provide digital solutions, need nia, diarrhoea and violent trauma. Imaging plays a critical support. Paediatric radiologists are needed to offer their services for reporting, consultation and quality assurance for free by way of teleradiology. Societies for paediatric radiology S. Andronikou (*) : V. Mngomezulu are needed to focus on providing a volunteer teleradiology Radiology Department, University of Witwatersrand, reporting group, informationonchildsafetyforbasic York Rd Parktown, Johannesburg Gauteng 2193, South Africa imaging, guidelines for investigations specific to the disease e-mail:
[email protected] spectrum, and solutions for optimising imaging in children.