CM Sukhu Inaugurates Nuclear Medicine Block at IGMC Shimla, PET Scan Facility Now Available in State.
Shimla:
In a major boost to advanced healthcare services in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today inaugurated the Nuclear Medicine Block at Indira Gandhi Medical College, enabling patients to access cutting-edge diagnostic facilities within the state.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that the newly established facility would provide Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan services in the government sector for the first time in Himachal Pradesh. He emphasized that this initiative would significantly reduce the need for patients to travel outside the state for advanced diagnostic tests, making healthcare more accessible and affordable.
Describing it as a landmark development, Sukhu stated that the PET scan facility allows early detection of diseases at metabolic and molecular levels, which is a significant advancement over conventional imaging techniques such as CT and MRI that typically identify structural changes at later stages. He said the technology would play a crucial role in cancer diagnosis and management, including staging, restaging, evaluation of treatment response, detection of recurrence, and prognosis.
The Chief Minister elaborated that PET scans are widely used in diagnosing and managing various cancers, including brain tumors, head and neck cancers, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, gastrointestinal tumors, and urological malignancies. He added that the scope of PET imaging continues to expand with technological advancements and is increasingly being used in cardiology, neurology, and in identifying infections and inflammatory diseases where conventional imaging methods fall short.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to strengthening the healthcare sector, Sukhu said that the state is focused on introducing high-end medical technologies across institutions. He recalled that a 3 Tesla MRI machine was recently inaugurated at the same institution and announced that the government plans to invest over ₹3,000 crore in upgrading healthcare infrastructure across medical colleges and health institutions in the coming years.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister also announced ₹8 crore for the installation of a SPECT-CT scan machine at IGMC Shimla, which will further enhance diagnostic capabilities at the premier institution.
Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil, MLAs Harish Janartha and Sanjay Awasthy, along with Secretary Health M. Sudha Devi and other senior officials of the Health Department, were present during the inauguration ceremony.
The launch of the Nuclear Medicine Block marks a significant step towards bringing advanced, world-class healthcare services closer to the people of Himachal Pradesh.
