The two caesium units stored for two years at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation are not leaking radioactive material, says Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy, refuting the findings of a physicist’s report.

Commenting on the report from the physicist submitted earlier this year, which stated that the radiation from the container was twice as much as it should be, Ramsammy told reporters yesterday that it was because both units were in on container so “obviously... they would give you more radiation.”

He said the physicist had no previous experience and in relation to her stating that some of the components were missing, “she read something that read five things and she was looking for five things like most of us will. Except when it shipped, it shipped in one container and if somebody had taken the time to read the container they would see all was there.”

The minister challenged Chairman of the Medical Council of Guyana, Dr MY Bacchus to visit the hospital and see that the machines were intact.

In relation to the missing manuals mentioned in the report, he said these could be found in the container.

As to whether the units would be used, Ramsammy said: “The government of Guyana’s policy was to introduce caesium and cobalt, that has never changed. I am in receipt of proposals from various doctors including the one that you have quoted [Dr Bacchus], that we should use other technologies; we have not changed our minds. But I am always willing to receive proposals and always willing to move to other technologies and so after we have introduced caesium if there is a better way to deal with it [cancer], after we have gotten experience we will introduce new technologies...The units are going to be used and they are going to be used far earlier than most people think, but I am not going to say it because I want the opportunity to beat up people.”

The physicist’s report said that the highest radiation activity was observed east of the container, which is more than twice the activity coming off the top of the container. The report concludes that this maybe due to some spillage inside the container.

It was recommended that a wipe test be performed when opening the container to check for any leakage as this maybe dangerous to human tissue. A wipe test would determine if there was any contamination present in the container.

The units were bought some four years ago with the assistance of US$20,000 from the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana and have not yet been put into use.

The units are to be used to treat cancer of the cervix. There has been a public row between Dr Bacchus and the minister over the time it is taking to put the units to use and also reports that they may not be used at all.