ARUSHA, Tanzania, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC) has shut down diagnostic sections in 55 health facilities across the east African nation for poor radiation equipment and lack of qualified staff, a senior official said on Thursday.

The clampdown by the regulator of nuclear and atomic energy on the facilities follows an ongoing inspection of medical diagnostic facilities in various hospitals in the east African nation.

Peter Ngamilo, TAEC's head of communications and marketing unit, said the shutdown of the diagnostic sections in the health facilities, citing some flaws in service provision.

According to Ngamilo, the ongoing inspection had laid bare glaring flaws and unprofessionalism in the provision of diagnostic services in the facilities, compelling the regulator to suspend such services in the medical facilities.

"Some of the centres aren't licensed to offer such services while others lacked the qualified staff to handle the machines hence posing a serious health hazard for themselves and their clients," Ngamilo said in an interview.

The TAEC official alleged that the commission had through its inspections and investigations established some of the X-ray machines which are used in taking pictures of dense tissues such as bones and teeth in the hospitals were outdated while in some of the health facilities had inadequate shielding of the main door leading to the dental X-Ray room.

"Our inspections have disclosed serious flaws in the provision of X-ray related services in the facilities which go against the law," he explained.