CUTTACK: The state government on Monday informed the Orissa High Court that PET-CT scan facility will be made available in Bhubaneswar after construction of a cancer wing at the Capital Hospital. The court was taking stock of the progress of providing PET-CT scan facility in Bhubaneswar and its feasibility in Balasore and Berhampur after the facility was made operational at the Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute for Cancer (AHPGIC), Cuttack following a PIL.
Anita Budhia (a cancer patient who died later) had filed the petition in 2021. In an affidavit special secretary (Public Health) Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty said the proposed cancer wing at the Capital Hospital has already got “administrative approval” and tenders for civil work were floated on February 22, 2023.
“Once civil work resumes process for procurement of PET-CT scan equipment will be initiated simultaneously. It will take nearly two years for completion of civil works after which PET-CT scan can be commissioned,” Mohanty said in the affidavit.
On making PET-CT scan available in Balasore and Berhampur the court had asked the state government to state the feasibility of providing the facility there by transporting radio-isotopes, a key component for it by road from Bhubaneswar.
In the affidavit, Mohanty stated, “Isotopes are neither manufactured nor available at Bhubaneswar as of now as there is no cyclotron (a machine used to make short-lived radio-active isotopes a key component for PET-CT scan).”
He said, “Isotopes are transported from Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata which takes around four hours from despatch point for manufacturing of cyclotron. After reaching Bhubaneswar, it will take another three hours’ time by road to reach Berhampur and Balasore.
Thus, it will be delayed by seven hours altogether which will affect the viability of isotopes.” “PET-CT scan can be made feasible when Balasore and Berhampur are connected by air directly with the cities having cyclotrons manufacturing isotopes or the cyclotron which have been approved by government in principle, becomes functional in Bhubaneswar. Up to that it is not feasible”, the special secretary (Public Health) stated in the affidavit. The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice M S Raman fixed April 3 for further consideration on the matter.