Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday inaugurated the Nuclear Medicine Block at Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla. He said the facility would enable patients to access advanced Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan services within the state in the government sector and would reduce the need to travel outside for such facilities. He added that this was the first facility of its kind in the public healthcare system of the state, marking a significant step towards strengthening specialized medical services in the state.
He said the PET scan facility enables early detection of diseases at the metabolic and molecular levels. Unlike conventional imaging modalities such as CT and MRI, which identify structural changes at later stages, PET technology detects physiological alterations at a much earlier stage.
The facility would play a vital role in the staging and restaging of cancers, evaluation of treatment response, detection of recurrence and prognostication. He said it is widely used in the diagnosis and management of various malignancies, including brain tumors, head and neck cancers, thyroid carcinoma, lung carcinoma, pleural malignancies, thymic tumors, esophagogastric carcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), breast carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, as well as urological and testicular malignancies. With advancements in tracers and techniques, its role in oncology continues to expand. In addition to oncology, PET scans are increasingly being utilised in cardiology and neurology, as well as in the assessment of infections and inflammatory diseases, particularly in cases where conventional imaging proves inconclusive.
The CM said the present state government remains committed to introducing high-end technologies in the health sector. "Recently, I have inaugurated a new 3 Tesla MRI machine at this premier health institution. In the coming times, we will invest over Rs 3,000 crore to upgrade technology across all medical colleges and other health institutions in the state, with the aim of providing affordable, world-class healthcare services at the doorstep of the people,” he said. He also announced Rs 8 crore for establishing SPECT-CT scan machine at IGMC Shimla.
Health Minister Dr (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil, MLAs Harish Janartha and Sanjay Awasthy, Secretary Health M Sudha Devi and other senior officers of the Health department were also present on the occasion.
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