Kashmir Struggles with Only One PET-CT Machine

Installation process at SMHS initiated; to be operational soon at GMC Srinagar: Officials

- Agencies

Amid an alarming rise in cancer cases across Kashmir, the valley continues to rely on just one PET-CT scan machine — located at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura — for staging, diagnosis, and monitoring of the disease.

The absence of this vital diagnostic facility at other major hospitals, including the Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, has led to long waiting periods, delayed diagnoses, and increased suffering for patients battling cancer.

According to official data, GMC Srinagar alone has registered around 8,000 new cancer cases since 2017, yet it lacks a PET-CT machine - an essential tool for detecting cancer, evaluating treatment response, and identifying recurrence.

Oncologists said that PET-CT technology has become indispensable in modern oncology but remains severely limited in Kashmir.