In a major boost to healthcare infrastructure, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today inaugurated the Nuclear Medicine Block at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla. With this launch, the state has, for the first time, made Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning available in the government sector.
The PET scan facility is capable of detecting diseases at an early stage—at the metabolic and molecular level. Unlike conventional imaging techniques such as CT and MRI, which reveal structural changes only in later stages, PET technology identifies physiological changes much earlier. This facility will play a crucial role in cancer staging, re-evaluation, treatment response assessment, detection of disease recurrence, and prognosis.
This technology is widely used in the diagnosis and management of various cancers, including brain tumors, head and neck cancer, thyroid carcinoma, lung carcinoma, pleural malignancies, thymic tumors, esophagogastric carcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, breast carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, and urological and testicular malignancies. With the development of new techniques and tracers, its role in oncology continues to expand.
Beyond oncology, PET scanning is now also being utilized in the assessment of cardiac diseases, neurology, infections, and inflammatory conditions—especially in cases where conventional imaging yields inconclusive results.
Chief Minister Sukhu stated that the state government is committed to integrating cutting-edge technologies into the healthcare sector. He noted that a 3 Tesla MRI machine was recently commissioned at this major institution. In the coming days, the state government will invest over ₹3,000 crore in technological upgrades across all medical colleges and health institutions in the state, ensuring accessible and world-class healthcare services close to people’s homes. He also announced ₹8 crore for the installation of a SPECT-CT scan machine at IGMC Shimla.
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