IGMC Shimla: CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurates nuclear medicine block; gets PET scan facility

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the Nuclear Medicine Block at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla on Thursday. This facility will enable patients to access advanced Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan services within the state, reducing the need to travel outside Himachal Pradesh for such diagnostics, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that this is the first facility of its kind, marking a significant step towards strengthening the public healthcare system and specialised medical services in the state. "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," Sukhu said.

"The facility will play a vital role in the staging and restaging of cancers, evaluation of treatment response, detection of recurrence and prognostication," he added.

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Sukhu also said that 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, he added.

"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," he further added. Sukhu also announced Rs 8 crore for establishing the SPECT-CT scan machine at IGMC Shimla.