Srinagar, July 07: The Positron Emission Tomography – PET scan machine in State Cancer Centre of Government Medical College ( GMC), Jammu is expected to function this week as the hospital administration is expecting to get the clinical license approval from regulatory board anytime soon.
The Jammu division lacks a functional PET scan machine in any government hospital, forcing cancer patients to travel out of state or visit private hospitals.
A PET scan is a crucial machine that detects early signs of cancer, heart disease, and brain conditions. Having this test available at government facilities can significantly reduce the financial burden on patients, as it is much more expensive at private hospitals.
According to the Hospital Based Cancer Registry (HBCR), 9,630 cancer patients were registered at GMC Jammu between 2018 and 2022. The most common type of cancer among these patients was lung cancer. The data suggests that among females, the most common cancer site is the breast, while among males, it is the lungs.
Similarly, according to the National Cancer Registry Programme report (2014-2016), 5,175 cancer patients were registered at GMC Jammu. Among them, 2,846 were males and 2,329 were females.
In 2016, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by advocate Aditya Gupta, urging the government to install such machines in government hospitals and appoint the necessary staff. In response, a Division Bench of the erstwhile State High Court directed the health department to install PET scan machines in all government medical colleges within six months. However, years have passed, and Jammu has yet to see this machine in operation.
In 2017, Adv. Aditya Gupta filed a contempt petition after the health department couldn’t install a PET scan. During a hearing last week, the court requested details from the lAdvocate General regarding the installation of the PET scan and other related information. The plea has now been scheduled for July 16.
Adv. Aditya Gupta told Rising Kashmir that eight years have passed since the directions were issued, and there must be accountability.
“People have lost lives to cancer in these eight years. Doesn’t the government owe an apology to those people?” he asked.
He also said that the high costs and the need for patients to travel out of state for the PET scan test raise questions about the government’s priorities in safeguarding people’s lives.
Dr Ashutosh Gupta, Principal and Dean, Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu told Rising Kashmir that the PET CT machine is already installed at State Cancer Center and that they are just awaiting the approval of clinical licences which will come anytime and it will be fully operational soon.
Dr Ashutosh said that there are two approvals important from regulatory authority; an operational and a clinical licence and they come from Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).
“We have already got the operational licenses and are expecting the clinical license this week and that the next day we will start it for patients. The PET CT we have is high end and efficient,” he added.
