The Saskatchewan NDP is sounding the alarm following the prolonged closure of the province’s only PET scan machine.

According to the NDP, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has told families of cancer patients that the machine was originally shuttered on December 23, and there is still no firm timeline for when it will be operational again.

However, the Saskatchewan Health Authority says that the scanner remains mechanically functional, however a lack of radioactive tracer called FDG has prevented any scans from being completed.

In Saskatchewan, the SHA says it sources FDG from the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation in Saskatoon, but on December 23, a production issue impacted the availability of FDG, leading to the temporary cancellation of 27 patient appointments on December 23 and 24.

Since the cancellations, the Centre secured a temporary FDG supply from Ontario on December 29th, allowing PET/CT services to resume at approximately half of regular capacity.

The SHA says, “Imaging teams are prioritizing the most urgent cases while working to reschedule remaining patients as additional supply becomes available.”