2023-05-29 18:20:40
Leaving Belgium on April 28, the cyclotron for the new Quebec hospital complex, acquired at a cost of $10 million, was successfully delivered last Thursday.
Some may still remember the shortage of medical isotopes in Canada a decade ago, following the temporary shutdown of the Chalk River nuclear power plant in Ontario.
“We had to send our patients to be treated in the United States. We no longer want to live in this situation,” said Christine Mimeault, deputy director general at the CHU de Québec, Université Laval.
Acquired thanks to a donation from the CHU Foundation, this device will allow autonomy in terms of supply. The cyclotron will be in production in 2026-2027.
“We have to throw away our first year of production to ensure certification before putting it to the benefit of the clinic, that is to say in terms of use with patients,” added Mimeault.
Clinical Services
What is special regarding the Quebec cyclotron is that it will be used for clinical services and also for research.
The Foundation is financing the acquisition of this device thanks to a donation of $10 million, including $5 million from the City of Quebec.
The Government of Quebec, for its part, allocated approximately $15 million to optimize this acquisition, notably with the addition of laboratories and radiopharmaceutical rooms that meet the highest safety standards.
“This is the largest donation we have ever made to the CHU de Québec,” said Marie-Claude Paré, CEO of the CHU Foundation.
As indicated by Mehdi Boudjemeline, head of the cyclotron program, the first vocation of the isotopes produced in Quebec will be used to carry out medical imaging examinations.
“There are certain processing isotopes that we can produce here. There are some that will always be imported, but everything that we will be able to do with the cyclotron, we will get it, ”he added.
Update on the construction site
Moreover, the state of progress of the new hospital complex in Quebec has now reached 40%. The $2.2 billion project has experienced cost overruns, as well as schedule delays due to the pandemic and rising construction costs. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in 2017.
Several buildings, including the cancer center, are already in operation.
Phase 2, which is underway, includes the twelve-storey critical care building. It is estimated that the building will be ready around 2026. The construction site is regarding fifteen months behind schedule.
“During the pandemic, we had a fairly major work stoppage. We also experienced supply issues,” said Ms. Mimeault.
The critical care unit will have 700 beds, including 350 single rooms.
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