The West Bengal Government has decided to make PET and CT scans, essential for detecting cancer and other diseases, free for all patients admitted to Government hospitals.

For this purpose, the State Government has allotted an amount of Rs 12 crore per year. The scans would be done at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, one of the premier State Government hospitals. Patients admitted to any Government hospital requiring scans would be brought in ambulances to NRS Medical College and after the scans are completed, would be returned to their respective hospitals in ambulances.

The reports would be done in two to three days, which would need to be collected by family members of the patients. Till now, these tests were done at NRS Hospital too, on a PPP basis, but patients had to pay Rs 15,000 per scan. At private hospitals, such scans cost Rs 20,000 to 30,000. According to the State Health Department, on an average, 350 patients per month, or 4,200 per year, admitted to various Government hospitals require these scans to be done.