CUTTACK: A Woman suffering from esophagus cancer has filed a PIL in the Orissa High Court seeking direction to the State government to start PET-CT scan facility at the Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer in Cuttack for the benefit of patients. Anita Budhia, a 50-year-old resident of Markatnagar, filed the petition on Monday wondering why the institute did not have PET-CT scan facility despite being a leading cancer institute in eastern India and the only government-run hospital for treatment of cancer in the State. PET-CT scan is a vital test required for detecting if a cancer cell has spread to body parts of a patient other than the initial organ.
According to the petition, there is only one private diagnostics centre in Cuttack that provides PET-CT scan facility at the cost of Rs 23, 000 apart from the two other private centres in Bhubaneswar. Of the 500 patients that turn up at the cancer hospital to avail outdoor facility every day, an average 25 patients are advised to undergo PET-CT scan. “Only those who can afford the test rush to the private centres while others surrender to the mercy of God”, the petition said.
The petitioner has named the Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department, Director Medical Education & Training and Director of Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer as respondents in the petition. PET-CT scan is known to be the latest and modern equipment to detect cancer. “But non-installation of such essential equipment goes on to show the nexus between the authorities concerned and the private sector players at the cost and risk of cancer patients”, the petition alleged.