PET Center to operate on weekends and holidays to reduce waiting times

The Ministry of Health, together with the University Institute for Positron Emission Tomography - PET Center, announced on October 9, 2026 at 14:00 that the PET Center will begin operating on the upcoming extended weekend, including the holiday, and will continue opening on subsequent weekends to shorten patient waiting times for scans.

The ministry said the move is intended to reduce the backlog of appointments and make diagnostic imaging available sooner to patients who need it most. Officials stressed that every day spent on a waiting list increases uncertainty for patients and their families.

Extended hours aimed at faster diagnosis

By keeping the PET Center open on weekends and holidays, the health authorities expect to accelerate access to PET scans and chip away at the lists that have grown since demand increased. The center's management said the measure follows a planned reorganization of services.

"This reorganization is being carried out to reduce waiting lists. We expect the trend we established over the past two years, when we doubled the number of appointments, to continue. We extend special thanks to all health workers and collaborators whose work and dedication make this possible," said the director of the PET Center, Dr. Nevena Manevska.

The Ministry and the PET Center said the weekend openings will start with the current extended weekend and the upcoming holiday, and will be repeated in the following weekends as part of the implementation plan. No additional operational details or contact information were released in the announcement.

Photo: press material from the event