PET-CT unit intact but lacks tracer; ministry seeks supplies from Belgium and US, says Klekovski
Minister Klekovski says the PET-CT unit is intact but the cyclotron that produces the tracer needs parts and export permits from foreign suppliers.
Health Minister Sasho Klekovski said this evening that authorities will do everything possible to secure within days the raw materials required for the cyclotron that produces the tracer needed for PET-CT scans. The country’s only state PET-CT unit has been out of operation for more than a month and is frequently used by oncology patients.
According to Klekovski, the PET-CT machine itself is not damaged but the cyclotron that supplies the radioactive substance has developed a fault during routine servicing.
Technical cause and supply constraints
"The PET scanner is not broken. The PET scanner was in routine service and during routine service problems were found with the cyclotron. In that institution there are two machines, so to speak: the cyclotron where the substance necessary for PET scanning is produced, and the PET scanner which is the machine used for the examination. Essentially, the defect in the cyclotron is a result of improper maintenance by the supplier and is a problem with oil which is in a restrictive regime. What does that mean? We're talking about nuclear medicine, so we are not talking about ordinary examinations. It takes a long time to procure," Klekovski said.
He explained that the specific supplies can be sourced only from the United States and Belgium, and that export permits will be required to bring them into the country.
"Export permits are required. At the moment, and personally the Minister of Foreign Affairs Timcho Mucunski is engaged in communication with Brussels to secure this from Belgium as quickly as possible, because it will be a bit harder from America. What has been requested of the institution is immediately to approach an alternative source of the necessary supplies for the PET scanner's functioning, whether by import from Bulgaria or from Turkey," Klekovski said.
Until the tracer is restored, patients have been forced to rely on substitute diagnostic methods or to pay for PET imaging privately, a service that can cost about €1,300.
Photo: Sloboden pechat / Dragan Mitreski
