MADURAI: Tamil Nadu's first Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET-CT) scan to be commissioned at a government hospital is likely to be inaugurated by the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) on October 30, said the hospital Dean Dr K Vanitha.
Earlier in December 2016, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by a Madurai resident at the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court seeking a court order for the installation of the PET-CT scan at the GRH for the benefit of cancer patients from the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Hearing the plea, the court, in January 2017, directed the installation of the scan equipment at GRH within a month's time.
Later in February 2017, contempt proceedings were initiated against the State Health Secretary, Director of Medical Education and the Dean of GRH as the equipment was not installed at the hospital despite the court order.
During the last hearing of the contempt petition on August 13 this year, the Dean filed a draft counter affidavit stating that the civil, electrical and other works for installation of the machine were completed, a Nuclear Medicine Physician had been appointed, Radiology Safety Officer license and No Objection certificates had been obtained and that a license for clinical trial had been issued by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Mumbai. Recording the submissions, Justices M Sathyanarayanan and B Pugalendhi adjourned the case to September 19 with directions to inform the court about date on which the machine would be inaugurated. Further, on August 14, the clinical trial for the PET-CT scan was conducted, as stated by the Dean in the Court.
Following this, the scan equipment worth Rs 10 crore that was procured by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model is soon to be unveiled at the GRH. The Dean Dr K Vanitha said that the scan equipment -- to be commissioned for the first time in a government hospital in Tamil Nadu -- is likely to be inaugurated by the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on October 30.
Hospital sources added that the advanced scan equipment would aid in precise diagnosis of areas affected by cancer, progress of cancer treatment and recurrence of cancerous growth. Also, myocardial viability, extent of dementia, portion in brain causing epilepsy could be easily ascertained with the help of PET-CT scan.