Radiopharmacy services in South African academic hospitals: implications for planning radiopharmacy services in Africa.

Background: Nuclear medicine (NM) is being embraced by undeveloped countries as a specialty. Due to the high costs involved in establishing new NM and radiopharmacy centres, proper planning is essential. This study describes the pattern of radiopharmacy services and staffing in NM departments in South African Academic hospitals (SAAHs); which can aid planning of new NM and radiopharmacy centres in similar settings. Methods: The study was retrospective, descriptive, and quantitative. An anonymized questionnaire was sent via Survey Monkey® to the nine SAAHs to determine nuclear medicine patient numbers by scan type, identify cameras, equipment, staffing levels, commonly used radiopharmaceuticals, and define the basic requirements for establishing new facilities. Results: The response rate was 78% (7/9 hospitals). Average number of NM patients seen per hospital was 7,040 for 2022. All hospitals had SPECT-CT cameras; six had PET-CT cameras and one referred PET patients to a private hospital. All hospitals had NM physicians (range 2-13, average 5) and at least one medical physicist (range 1-4). Only two hospitals had radiopharmacists (only one in each). Conclusion: To promote optimal patient services and support research in SAAHs, norms must be developed that are applicable to Africa. Appropriate staff quotas and equipment are required for the African setting to promote optimal use of radiopharmaceuticals and enable NMs to operate to their full potential. Key things to help in planning and establishing new radiopharmacy centers include; adopting centralized radiopharmaceutical production and aligning staffing with international guidelines.