This fact is not surprising because it was predicted many years ago. It is not uncommon for cancer patients to have to wait 2-3 weeks for their turn to have a PET/CT scan. The strange thing is that, in addition to Cho Ray Hospital, in Ho Chi Minh City there is still a facility that can produce the radioactive drug 18F-FDG but cannot operate. That is the branch of Rang Dong Medical Joint Stock Company in Thu Duc City, where 200 billion VND was invested in the production of radioactive isotopes, which was put into trial operation in 2019.
After 1 year, the factory's operations were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, the inspection team of the Ministry of Science and Technology concluded that the company was not operating in accordance with the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets.
In 2023, Rang Dong Medical Joint Stock Company, Ho Chi Minh City branch, was fined 160 million VND by the Department of Drug Administration, Ministry of Health , forced to destroy 70 vials of 18F-FDG because the drug had not been granted a circulation registration certificate, and was temporarily suspended from producing 18F-FDG.
From 2021 to 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has repeatedly requested the authorities to remove legal procedures to put the above company's factory into operation, sharing the burden with Cho Ray Hospital. However, everything is still the same.
To meet the demand for PET/CT scans of cancer patients, Ho Chi Minh City needs to be equipped with 3 Cyclotrons. In the current context, when the only Cyclotron stops working, the million-dollar PET/CT system must also be "covered". That is an unacceptable waste!
Of course, PET/CT scans are a superior diagnostic imaging option, but they are not the only one for cancer patients. Doctors will not give up diagnosis and treatment because of paralyzed equipment, but it is clear that the rights of patients have been seriously affected.
To hold on to even a slim chance, many patients in the South have to fly to Hanoi, Da Nang, or even abroad to have PET/CT scans and then bring the results back to their treating doctors. Waste in the medical field causes heavy losses not only economically but also leads to long-term frustration and erodes people's trust.
In the near future, the pressure on the newly merged Ho Chi Minh City health sector will become even heavier and more complicated. Therefore, thoroughly resolving the issue of radioactive drug supply is an urgent issue!
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Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/khi-may-petct-trieu-do-trum-men-post800876.html
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