Cancer patients grapple with halting of PET Scan services at SKIMS
Srinagar, May 12: Patients suspected of or diagnosed with Cancer in Kashmir have been facing a dire situation as the flight disruption stopped the supply of radioisotopes critical for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans, bone scans and other nuclear medicine procedures at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Srinagar.
The suspension of civilian flights, triggered by LoC violence, rendered patients without essential diagnostic imaging.
Mohammad Sultan had waited for a PET Scan at SKIMS Soura for months and was scheduled to get one on 9 May. However, with J&K situation taking a turn and many hospital services and facilities taking a hit, he is unsure of when he can get the scan that is necessary for doctors to plan his cancer treatment. The crisis emerged after cross LoC violence, shelling, and aerial threats led to the closure of Srinagar International Airport and other airports in north India. PET scans crucial cancer diagnosis and treatment planning is possible only with radioisotopes which have a very short half-life of just a few hours and must be transported from cities like Delhi or Mumbai.
J&K does not have a Cyclotron of its own and cannot produce the radio-isotope, thus, the flight disruptions have caused a complete halt in PET scan services. SKIMS is the only government hospital in Kashmir equipped with a PET scan machine, while there is one private center in Srinagar offering the test. With Valley’s growing cancer patient population, there is a long queue of patients for PET Scan.
In addition to PET Scan, the radio-isotpes are also needed for Bone Scan,Thyroid Scan and Thyroid cancer treatments. All these procedures have not been carried out since May 7 when flights were suspended to and from Srinagar airport.
Cancer patients and their families have expressed satisfaction over the Government decision to resume flights to and from Srinagar urgently in order to reprieve them of further delays in diagnostics and treatments.
“We’re stranded. Neither can we go outside Kashmir, nor do we know when we can get the tests here,” said Aisha Begum, a breast cancer patient waiting for a follow-up scan at SKIMS. “My treatment is delayed. It’s a matter of life and death.” Oncologists are concerned that the delays in staging and monitoring cancer can worsen patient outcomes, particularly for those with aggressive forms of the disease. Flights at Srinagar are expected to resume from May 14.
