PET scan at Apeksha Hospital functions without a hitch: Health Ministry

Denying media reports that patient services at the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital have been hampered due to the malfunction of PET scan, Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena stressed that the PET scan currently functions without any interruption.

Participating at the weekly post cabinet news briefing at the Information Department, the Health DG said yesterday “The use of PET scan has not been suspended. We are performing services manually,”

“The media has carried misleading information on the

PET scan at Apeksha Hospital. However, there is no any sabotage when the PET scan’s power supply was affected. It is operated manually at the moment. Even at private hospitals and in India these scans are operated manually. There is no commission taking or when spare parts are imported for the machine as suggested by the media. A PET scan at the Colombo National Hospital (CNH) also runs manually at the moment,” Dr. Gunawardana said.

Essential pharmaceutical equipment, machines and scans in other state hospitals like Kandy, Peradeniya and at the Medical Research Institute (MRI) at Borella have also been broken down due to the non-availability of spare parts. But with the improvement of economy and appreciation of the rupee against the dollar, the Health Ministry has taken steps to import necessary spare parts at a very high forex cost and all the broken down SCANS, Cath labs and other medical equipment will be restored soon, Dr. Gunawardana said.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr. Keheliya Rambukwella said the Cabinet approved the proposal submitted by the Minister of Health to reduce the maximum retail price of 60 medicines by 16% with effect from 15.06.2023 and review the price of medicines every three months.