'I'm not going to do it': Imaging leader tells staff to boycott unjustifiable exams on migrant children
Medical imaging leaders in the United Kingdom are pushing back on plans to use medical imaging to verify the ages of children who are migrating into the country.
Suella Braverman, who serves as Home Secretary in the U.K., has proposed the use of X-ray, CT and/or MRI for age checks to determine which migrants are, in fact, children and which ones might be posing as children in an attempt to remain in the U.K. A spokesperson stated that “using scientific measures” brings consistency to age verification, resulting in more appropriate accommodations for migrants.
Ross McGhee, president of the Society of Radiographers, which represents more than 90% of radiographers in the U.K., suggested staff refuse to complete these exams in the absence of medical necessity.
“I would say to any member of the Society of Radiographers that if you are asked to X-ray anyone for any reason, other than a medical benefit, then it’s not justifiable,” McGhee told the Independent.
McGhee added that the imaging system is already overburdened, with tens of thousands of people in England waiting for three or more months for their imaging exams due to COVID backlogs. Adding thousands of migrant exams without medical cause would increase pressure on an already understaffed system that “is at a breaking point,” McGhee said.
“We are not able to recruit enough people and retain enough people to be able to undertake the waiting lists that we’ve already got. So any additional pressure, no matter how small, especially with it being unjustifiable, is an additional pressure that we don’t need,” McGhee stated.
McGhee noted that radiographers in the U.K. are registered with the state as autonomous medical professionals. As such, they are acting within their rights to question or potentially refuse to carry out an exam if there is a question of whether the exam is medically justifiable.
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In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.