PET Scanner agreement signed

An agreement has been signed between the Maltese and Swiss governments for a new PET scanner at Mater Dei Hospital.

The PET scanner project will cost €2.5 million, €1.8 million of which are being forked out by the Swiss government.

Swiss ambassador to Malta Bernardino Regazzoni told the media the agreement was an important milestone in the relationship between Malta and Switzerland.

The new PET scanner, he said, would remove the need for the Maltese to travel abroad for treatment and diagnoses.

The project, he said, was being carried out in collaboration with Swiss oncology centre and the tendering process in collaboration with Swiss experts.

Maltese radiologists would receive training in Switzerland.

Health Minister Joe Cassar said that two years ago the government promised to battle cancer with all possible means.

This was a historical moment for the Maltese health services, for although cancer prevention was closely related to good lifestyle habits, this was, sometimes, not enough.

The scanner would help pinpoint the source of cancer and could be used by physicians to choose the best method of treatment.

If caught in the very early stages, cancer could be cured, he said.

Until the new scanner is installed at Mater Dei, Maltese patients can benefit from a temporary agreement to use a PET scanner at St James Hospital.