LUCKNOW King George’s Medical University (KGMU) has become the third government-funded medical institution to offer positron emission tomography (PET) scans, used for diagnosing tumours, heart diseases, brain disorders, and assessing organ functionality.
“Patient services have commenced with PET scans. Currently, up to seven patients per day can avail of this diagnostic facility,” said Dr Sudhir Singh, spokesperson for KGMU.
KGMU charges a basic fee of ₹10,000 for the scan, in addition to consumables costing approximately ₹2,500. In the private sector, fees can reach up to ₹18,000.
In addition to KGMU, this testing facility is available at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences and PGI within the government sector, with charges similar to KGMU.
With this facility available at only three government institutions and fewer than a dozen in the private sector, there has already been a lengthy waiting list. Sometimes, patients have had to wait for up to two months from the day they were prescribed the test.
The plan to install the PET scan was initiated in August 2021, following which the process for purchasing the machine and other formalities began. Patients prescribed PET scans by doctors at KGMU previously had to visit Lohia Institute or PGI to undergo the test, where long waiting lists posed a significant challenge. Not all patients could afford the fees at private centres.
“Delayed diagnosis results in delayed treatment. With another PET scan facility emerging in another government sector institute, patients in need and those unable to afford private centre fees will find relief,” said Dr Amita Shukla, senior consultant at SC Trivedi Memorial Hospital.
