CASTELLO. The health personnel of the nuclear medicine service of the Provincial Hospital has sent a letter to the management of the center for the cuts which are scheduled for the month of April in the center’s PET-CT service.
It is the only machine that exists in the province of Castellón and that uses radioactive isotopes to diagnose cancer, it is also used to diagnose infections and works as a treatment to improve dementias.
As they explain from this hospital medical service, thanks to the contracts that were approved during the pandemic, the service has been able to expand, which has allowed it to go from the 200 tests that were done per year to 651, which is essential to detect cases such as breast cancer, lymphomas, lung, also infectious and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, prosthesis or vascular infection.
The service is served by three permanent doctors plus two temporary ones -one interim and another with a temporary contract- and the cuts will fully affect the service they provide since the hours of each day will be eliminated, which will cut the diagnoses of a service “whose patients are 80% oncological” .
Right now, all Castellón residents who need this nuclear medicine are assisted at the Provincial, but, starting in April, many will have to go to private hospitals in Valencia.
Hence, all service personnel have claimed in writing to the management to avoid cuts.