Unit Cost Analysis of PET-CT at an Apex Public Sector Health Care Institute in Indi

Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose and determine the severity of or treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders and other disorders. Given the ability of nuclear medicine procedures to pinpoint molecular activity within the body, it has a potential role in an early diagnosis as well as patient’s immediate response to therapeutic interventions.[1] PET and CT are established imaging modalities that have been validated and extensively utilized in routine clinical practice. Integrated PET/CT combines PET and CT in a single imaging device and allows morphological and functional imaging to be carried out in a single sitting. At the same time, there is greater awareness that the quantitative features of PET may have a major impact in oncology trials and clinical practice.[2] In some developing countries (with middleincome economies), where there has not been a reference unit cost and/or standard hospital costing system for medical services, individual hospitals conduct cost analysis employing different methods. The adoption of different methodologies results in non uniform cost outcomes, which cannot be compared or utilized by other organizations. The information o