Axac International Company has entered into an agreement with the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board and the Ministry of Health to build local production facilities for FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose), a crucial component used in PET scanners for cancer detection and surveillance.
The Ministry of Power and Energy has verified that this deal is the result of an extensive procurement process. The government hospitals would benefit greatly from the local production of FDG because PET scans, which are crucial for cancer treatment, are now only performed once a week in these facilities because of the restricted supply of imported FDG.
In the past, Sri Lanka imported FDG from India once a week, but 97% of the supply was lost in the process, severely limiting patient care and driving up expenses. In India, the cost of a PET scan is as low as Rs. 40,000, compared to approximately Rs. 285,000 in private hospitals.
With the new agreement in place, Sri Lanka hopes to enhance patient access to PET scans while reducing the cost of scans at both public and private facilities. This will improve cancer diagnosis and care nationwide to a great extent.