A conclave on nuclear medicine was held under the aegis of the Society of Nuclear Medicine India’s North India Chapter, in association with Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad
A conclave on nuclear medicine was recently held in New Delhi under the aegis of the Society of Nuclear Medicine India’s North India Chapter, in association with Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad.
More than 250 doctors from medical institutes and hospitals across northern India attended the conference, called Theranos, to discuss important discoveries and the latest treatment techniques in the field. The goal was to explore the growing scope of nuclear medicine in the treatment of cancer, its benefits and discoveries and modern methods of treatment.
Said Dr Swagat Dash, HOD & Senior Consultant – Nuclear Medicine, Sarvodaya Hospital, Sector-8, Faridabad: “With the advent of SPECT-CT and PET-CT scanners in the last two decades, nuclear medicine in India has seen exponential growth. Now we have a host of radioisotopes for Gamma camera imaging, PET imaging and radionuclide therapies. Top Indian hospitals offering world-class nuclear diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are attracting more and more foreigners for quality services at affordable prices. But there are many challenges too in terms of access and affordability.”
Dr Dash added, “To establish nuclear medicine infrastructure, investments are huge and returns are slow. For this reason, most nuclear medicine facilities are clustered in Tier I and Tier II cities. In smaller cities, revenue generation is a challenge, so the procedures tend to be costly and out-of-bound for most people. Due to this, nuclear medicine is seeing relatively slower growth in India compared to other branches of medical science. Sensitization and awareness of doctors from other specialities are needed to ensure increased utilization of nuclear medicine services. The country also needs more intensive research and trials in the field.”
Said Dr Pankaj Douggal, President, Society of Nuclear Medicine (North India Chapter), “The conference was a milestone in creating awareness among doctors about nuclear medicine as a treatment option. It aimed to help medical professionals from different parts of North India to enhance their knowledge and ensure better health outcomes for patients by offering the latest nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment to patients.”
Dr Chandrasekhar Bal, Head of Nuclear Medicine at AIIMS, along with Dr Ishita B.Sen, Director – Nuclear Medicine, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram; Dr Sanjay Gambhir, Professor & Head, Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, SGPGIMS, Lucknow; and Dr Partha S Choudhury, Director – Nuclear Medicine, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, Delhi actively contributed to increasing the pool of knowledge at the conference.
