CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has sought from the state government a fresh feasibility report on setting up a PET-CT scan facility in Balasore and Berhampur. Installation and operation of the PET-CT scan facility at the Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute for Cancer (AHPGIC) in Cuttack followed after the court’s intervention in response to a PIL.
As for making the PET-CT scan facility available in Balasore and Berhampur, the state authorities had contended that it is not feasible. The court was hearing the PIL on Wednesday.PET- CT scan is a vital test required for detecting if a cancer cell has spread to any other parts of a patient other than the initial point.
The device is known to be the latest and most modern equipment to detect cancer in the whole body. Radio-isotopes are the key component of the PET-CT Scan facility. As it has a life span of only seven to eight hours, it requires transportation by air only at commercial airports.
For having a PET-CT scan facility in Balasore and Berhampur, transportation of radio-isotopes is to take place from Kolkata and Hyderabad respectively. Unless there are airports at both places the facility is not feasible, the state authorities claimed.
However, the court was not impressed as the affidavit filed by the state government didn’t mention why the transportation of the radioisotopes cannot take place from Bhubaneswar by road which should take even less than four hours.
While issuing the direction on Wednesday the division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice MS Raman expected the state government to file an affidavit on a fresh feasibility report by taking into consideration transportation of the radio-isotopes to Balasore and Berhampur by road after being brought by air to Bhubaneswar from Kolkata and Hyderabad.
The bench fixed February 27 as the next date for further consideration of the matter along with the affidavit of the state government. The state government will also have to submit an affidavit on the status of procuring and installing PET-CT scan facilities in Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda, the order said.