The State Trading Organization (STO) has been awarded the contract to procure a cancer detection scan machine for the state-owned Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
State Minister for Health Dr. Shah Mahir, IGMH CEO Ibrahim Saleem, and STO Medical Services General Manager Ahmed Niushad signed an agreement to procure and install a PET scan machine at IGMH. The machine is expected to be delivered and installed within two months.
Under the agreement between STO and the Ministry of Health, STO will be responsible for supplying medical equipment to all health centers and hospitals across the Maldives.
The procurement of the PET scan machine was awarded to STO under the same agreement.
A PET scan, or positron emission tomography scan, is a medical imaging technique used to detect and evaluate the presence and spread of cancer in individuals. Despite the increasing number of cancer cases in the Maldives, the service has not been available locally.
According to the Ministry, approximately 1,000 individuals are sent abroad for PET scans each year under the national health insurance scheme, Aasandha. The launch of PET scan services in the Maldives will significantly alleviate the burden on patients, as they will no longer need to travel overseas for diagnostic procedure.
In addition to its primary function of cancer detection, the PET scanner also has the capability to perform scans for heart and brain-related conditions.
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