A software incompatibility affecting a newly installed CT simulator at the National Cancer Institute in Maharagama has disrupted cancer treatment, with nearly 1,500 patients waiting for essential CT simulation before they can begin radiation treatment, the Government Radiological Technologists Association (GRTA) said.
GRTA President Chanaka Dharmawickrama yesterday (8) said the new CT simulator, installed after the previous machine was removed in April and handed over to the Hospital on 7 September, could not be properly used for treatment planning due to a software incompatibility.
He said the software of the new CT simulator is incompatible with the treatment planning system used for radiation treatment, preventing treatment planning based on CT simulation.
CT simulation and treatment planning are essential before radiation treatment can begin, Dharmawickrama said.
As a temporary measure, the Hospital has been using its positron emission tomography (PET) scanner to conduct CT simulation examinations. However, he said the PET scanner cannot be fitted with the additional equipment required for such procedures and does not have the capacity of a standard CT simulator.
CT simulation also cannot be carried out for breast cancer patients using the PET scanner as it is not designed for such procedures, he said.
As a result, around 1,500 patients are currently waiting to undergo CT simulation, while delays in starting radiation treatment could allow their cancer to progress further, Dharmawickrama said.
He said some patients facing lengthy waiting periods had opted to obtain CT simulation from the private sector, spending between Rs. 500,000 and Rs. 2 million. The cost varies depending on the location and complexity of the procedure.
The long waiting list and treatment delays at the Hospital have also increased waiting lists at private hospitals for patients seeking the procedure, he said.
Dharmawickrama said a large number of cancer patients across the country are already waiting for radiation treatment, while the situation at the National Cancer Institute remains unresolved.
Efforts to contact the Hospital administration proved futile. However, informed Hospital sources said the issue was still ongoing, with more than 1,300 patients currently on the waiting list.
“We have been informed time and again that the issue would be rectified, but still, nothing has happened,” they said.