Minister to open Auckland’s first private PET-CT

Minister to open Auckland’s first private PET-CT service

More patients to benefit from improved cancer diagnosis and greater precision for treatment options – potential savings for taxpayers

Health Minister Hon Tony Ryall will officially open Auckland’s first private PET-CT service, Mercy PET-CT later today (Monday, October 18).

Mercy PET-CT is a collaboration between Sonic Healthcare New Zealand and Integrated Hospitals. The multi-million dollar centre, which opened for business last month, provides a private diagnostic option for cancer patients requiring a PET-CT scan, and avoids the need for patients and their families to travel out of Auckland, often to Australia, to access this technology.

“We have already had strong demand for the service and have been building up patient numbers gradually to ensure the centre works smoothly,” comments Mercy PET-CT CEO Mr Andrew Wickers.

“Hundreds of cancer patients per year will benefit from local access to this next generation diagnostic tool. By having a PET-CT, patients can avoid unnecessary surgery and benefit from more accurate treatment. This saves health dollars as well as providing better outcomes for patients.”

Mr Wickers says PET-CT technology is a vital and well-established part of cancer diagnosis and treatment worldwide and is long overdue in Auckland.

“The PET-CT scanner enables much better identification of cancers. It provides the information to both patients and clinicians, in both the private and public system, that will enable more complete decision-making about cancer treatment options.”
PET-CT is a combination of two separate diagnostic imaging procedures - Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computed Tomography (CT) into a single diagnostic tool which allows accurate fusion of the two images.
The combined image not only highlights areas of abnormal metabolic activity such as tumours but also accurately localises them within the body.
Mr Wickers says that patients have said they are very satisfied with the service Mercy PET-CT provides. The centre expects to scan approximately 1000 patients a year initially, rising over time.

The new facility is close to services treating cancer including radiology, radiotherapy, laboratory, consulting suites, chemotherapy and pharmacy, and has ample parking for patients. The location of the PET-CT centre on the MercyAscot site at Epsom allows an effective synergy with oncologists and Auckland Radiation Oncology to provide a complete care process for private patients.

The new 230m2, purpose-built facility at MercyAscot’s Mountain Road, Epsom site operates a Siemens Biograph mCT, - the most advanced and only one of its kind in NZ. The imaging technology within the PET-CT delivers crisper, clearer images than its predecessors and its larger ‘bore hole’, where the patient lies down, offers more space and greater comfort.

Mercy PET-CT has a full compliment of staff, including nuclear medicine technologists and radiology specialists in this field.
Mr Wickers says the new Mercy PET-CT centre will treat mainly cancer patients but there may be applications for use in neurological and other disorders.
He says Mercy PET-CT has researched the project very carefully in order to address the long unmet need for a locally accessible and essential diagnostic service for cancer patients and their families, given that Auckland is New Zealand’s largest population centre.
During the official opening this evening Mr Ryall will unveil a plaque to mark the occasion and will be given a tour of the centre before meeting referring doctors and staff.

For more information go to www.radiology.co.nz

ENDS

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