Health-care cuts cost Windsor cancer equipment, lab claims

Windsor-Essex is without a critical piece of medical equipment now that Precision Diagnostic Imaging has suspended operation of its PET-CT scanner.

PET-CT scans are used to diagnose cancer, epilepsyand dementia.

Precision claims it hasthe only PET-CT cancer scanner in the region. The clinic also alleges Ontario's Ministry of Health "will not assist in urgent repairs to the equipment required to allow the centre to resume patient scanning."

"The clinic has been plagued over the years by Ministry of Health funding cutbacks and short-falls, as well as denial of funding for equipment upgrades and emergency repairs," a news release issued by Precision read, in part.

'Stable ongoing funding' needed

Approximately 500 cancer patients received PET-CT scans last year in Windsor, according to Precision.

"Appeals to the Minister of Health and the Independent Health Facility program overseeing the budget for PET-CT scanning in the province have been unsuccessful in obtaining sufficient funds to repair the current unit and obtain stable ongoing funding for equipment replacement and service," Precision's news release said.

Precision didn't say how much money is needed to fix the machine.

The Erie St. Clair LHIN made it very clear it does not provide funding to independent health-care facilities, such as Precision Diagnostic Imaging. A spokeswoman for the LHIN referred all questions to the Ministry of Health.

CBC left a message with the ministry Wednesday.

Problems elsewhere

The specialized machines are of concern elsewhere in Ontario.

Sudbury has been lobbying the Ontario government to help buy a new one there. A new machine costs an estimated $5 million dollars.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has promised to pay the $1.6 million needed to operate Sudbury's PET scanner annually, once the community has raised enough money to purchase it. So far, the northern Ontario community has raised more than $2 million.

Windsor doctor Kevin Tracey was a founding member of a ministry-backed committee set up more than 15 years agoto bring PET technologyto Ontario.

Tracey said Ontario is doing fewer PET scans than just about anywhere in the western world.

Ontario performs 11,000 PET scans per year, according to Cancer Care Ontario.

Quebec performs nearly four times that number, more than40,000 scans annually, with a much smaller population.