PESHAWAR: The lack of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET-CT) machine in public sector hospitals has badly affected cancer patients as they have to travel to other cities amid requests by oncologists to install the machine and make it available on Sehat Card Plus.

PET-CT scan is a medical imaging technique used to detect and assess various conditions, particularly in oncology (cancer). It is available only in Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) Peshawar where appointment are not easily available, according to oncologists.

Prof Abid Jameel, the pioneer of oncology in public sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told Dawn that PET scan was used widely for precise staging of various types of cancers to plan proper treatment for patients.

“PET is also required in post-cancer treatment to confirm response or otherwise. I had suggested to government few years ago to install a PET scanner in Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC). It will not only ease burden on private PET scanners but will be also of help to poor patients due to low price and also by including it in Sehat Card Plus (SCP) to facilitate patients free of cost,” he said.

Oncologists say people travel to Rawalpindi and Lahore for the test

Unfortunately, it has not happened to date. A PET scan in government sector will not only help in precise staging of cancer patients but will also help oncologists in confirming response to treatment.

“The government is already providing free cancer treatment to patients in HMC Peshawar, Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH) Abbottabad and Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (Irnum) Peshawar on SCP but installation of PET will immensely benefit people if they are given free test facility,” said Prof Abid.

Oncologists in medical teaching institutions (MTIs) told this scribe that they sent patients to SKMCH, Peshawar, which often remained heavily booked so the test was conducted in Rawalpindi or Lahore. Most of the cancer patients need it before and after treatment. The machine is not very expensive. Its cost was around $1 million, which was not a big amount for government, they said.

An oncologist said that PET was for whole body that covered all organs of the body and the cost was approximately Rs100, 000. He said that patients would suffer as there was no prospect of its installation in near future.

“There are some diseases in which PET is the ideal modality, but looking at its unavailability and higher cost, we usually rely on CT scan. For the patients, who can afford, we plan PET appointment in advance in SKMCH,” he said.

He said that usually two-week time was required to get an appointment in SKMCH. He said at least 100 patients from MTIs required the test per month but only 20 underwent it owing to its cost and appointment delays. “Besides non-availability of PET, MTIs have not dedicated proper space for cancer patients and they are admitted in medical wards subject to availability of beds,” he added.

There are only 50 dedicated beds for cancer patients in HMC and ATH. Despite the presence of qualified oncologists in MTIs, patients don’t have proper beds. The worst suffers are paeds oncology patients, who have to go to Lahore where they are often sent back by doctors, telling them that oncologists are available in Peshawar.

“Actually cancer in our society is worse than Aids. The number of patients is increasing but facilities remain very low,” said oncologists. The structure for cancer patients is very poor and needs to be upgraded as the cost of treatment is high and travelling to other cities further multiplies patients’ vows.

They said that on average 10 cases were managed in SKMCK per day. The only way out was to install PET at least in one of the MTIs and make it available on SCP, they said.

Published in Dawn, August 22th, 2025