Idle PET scanner should be up and running next year
The PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scanner, which was purchased two years ago at a cost of €3.8 million, hasn’t been used because of a recruitment embargo.
In 2009, CUH completed the construction of a brand new €6.85 million treatment and diagnostic facility where the PET scanner is located.
Applications were made to the HSE National Hospitals’ Office at the time for staff to man the unit, but they weren’t appointed due to the public service recruitment moratorium.
However, Minister of State for Health John Moloney has confirmed that funding has now been provided for a consultant radiologist to operate the machine.
In reply to a Dáil question from Deputy David Stanton (FG), Mr Moloney said as the appointment of a permanent consultant can take several months, it is intended to fill the post temporarily until the permanent position is filled.
He said it is also expected that recruitment of critical support staff for the consultant will commence next January. “It is quite unbelievable that this brand new PET scanner, crucial for the detection of cancer, has lain idle for so long.
“It is just one of the two public PET scanners in the country. The other scanner is located in St James’s Hospital in Dublin,” Mr Stanton said.
Figures released to the TD by the HSE (South) show that in 2008, 2009 and in the first eight months of this year it spent more than €1 million sending people to Dublin for scans.
“While the HSE covers costs of the scans, patients must meet their own transport costs. In addition to the personal expense, this trip must be very stressful for people many of whom are very ill possibly with cancer,” the Cork East TD said.
He said he was also concerned at the low number of people living in the HSE South area — which covers Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Tipperary and Carlow — receiving PET scans.
“Out of the total figures I obtained relating to the number of PET scans in the past 32 months, just 605 people from the HSE South area received scans out of the total of 12,597 scans completed.
“This seems very small considering the population of the HSE South is close to 1.2 million,” Mr Stanton said.
