A lack of expertise and absence of radiation safety has prompted the closure of a PET/CT imaging facility in northwest India, according to a December 18 article in the Kashmir Reader.
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) revoked the license of the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura for its use and purchase of FDG and other radioactive medical isotopes due to the facility's failure to "fulfill radiation safety measures and recruit professional staff for doing the procedures." The edict suspends PET/CT scans and treatment for cancer patients at SKIMS.
The AERB is tasked with annually renewing radioisotope licenses for healthcare facilities. The article quoted an AERB source as saying the agency had "raised objection over mishandling of the isotope by SKIMS and found absence of many radiation safety measures in the institution. Despite repeated communications, the institution failed to comply with safety measures and to recruit staff as per the guidelines."
SKIMS purchased the PET/CT system from an Indian supplier for GE Healthcare. That vendor was also providing FDG for PET imaging, according to the article.
