Delhi HC Flags Idle ₹15.42 Crore PET Cyclotron at Cancer Institute

What Is a PET Cyclotron — and Why Does It Matter for Cancer Patients?

A cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator — a machine that uses magnetic and electric fields to spin charged particles at high speed, producing radioactive isotopes as a result. In a hospital or cancer centre context, a medical cyclotron's sole purpose is to manufacture the short-lived radioactive tracers that make PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans possible.

The most commonly used tracer is Fluorodeoxyglucose, or FDG — a form of radioactive glucose. Cancer cells consume glucose faster than normal cells do, so FDG accumulates in tumours and lights them up on a PET scan. The resulting images show doctors where cancer is located, how far it has spread, and whether treatment is working.

<cite index="40-1">The radioactive isotope FDG has a very short half-life of around 110 minutes</cite>, meaning it must be produced close to where it will be used. A hospital without its own cyclotron has to procure the tracer from an external supplier, often on a tight logistical window. <cite index="40-1">In some government hospitals, the waiting period for PET scans extends up to 20 days, with manpower shortages also contributing to delays.</cite>

When a hospital has an in-house cyclotron, it can produce tracers on demand — cutting costs, reducing delays, and allowing more patients to be scanned each day. That was precisely the intention when DSCI procured its cyclotron in 2017.

[REVIEWER: add clinical insight here — e.g., how PET-CT changes staging decisions in common cancers such as breast, lung, or cervical cancer, and what diagnostic delays mean for treatment outcomes in your clinical experience]

What the Delhi High Court Found

<cite index="30-1">The Delhi High Court directed the Government of NCT of Delhi to audit unused medical equipment across all Delhi government hospitals after finding that a PET cyclotron machine worth ₹15.42 crore had remained non-functional for several years, terming it a gross waste of public resources.</cite>

The order came on 3 July 2026, during the hearing of a long-running case on healthcare infrastructure in Delhi's government hospitals — a case that had already exposed systemic gaps in emergency bed management and digital health platforms.

<cite index="39-1">Appearing before the court, Dr Pragya Shukla, head of the department of clinical oncology at DSCI, told the bench that the PET cyclotron machine had remained non-operational because the Delhi government did not have a trained specialist to run the equipment after it was procured in 2017. According to the court order, a specialist doctor from Safdarjung Hospital joined DSCI only in February this year.</cite> However, even after the specialist's arrival, the machine remains non-functional as regulatory approvals are still pending.

That is a gap of nearly nine years between procurement and first use.

What Is Happening to Patients in the Meantime?

DSCI is the national capital's only government-funded dedicated cancer hospital — which means it absorbs patients from Delhi and from states across northern India who cannot afford private oncology care.

<cite index="46-1">Patients currently report CT scan appointments being given for September, ultrasound dates for about a month later, and some radiotherapy sessions scheduled for January and February next year. A nursing attendant at the institute told ThePrint that long waiting periods stem from a combination of non-functional equipment, staff shortages, and overwhelming patient load.</cite>

<cite index="46-1">One patient's family, whose father with lung cancer needed a whole-body PET-CT scan after eight cycles of chemotherapy, received an appointment a month later and ultimately paid around ₹10,000 at a private centre to get the scan done sooner.</cite>

The situation is compounded by staffing shortfalls. An amicus curiae submission to the court alleged that <cite index="46-1">DSCI was functioning with 491 vacancies against a sanctioned strength of 814 posts, with shortages spanning doctors, specialists, technicians, nursing and administrative staff.</cite>

The pattern is stark: a government hospital established to provide affordable cancer care is systematically pushing costs back onto the patients it was created to protect.

Why Do Expensive Medical Machines Sit Unused in India?

The DSCI cyclotron is not an isolated case. Across India's public health system, expensive imported equipment frequently goes unused after procurement — a problem documented repeatedly by parliamentary standing committees and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

The reasons typically combine several failures:

No specialist trained or posted. Cyclotrons, linear accelerators, MRI machines, and robotic surgery systems all require operators with highly specific training. Procuring the machine without a concurrent plan to hire or train a specialist is a recurring gap.

Regulatory approvals lag procurement. Medical cyclotrons produce radioactive materials and require licensing from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) of India. These approvals must be planned as part of the installation process, not pursued afterward.

Infrastructure gaps. A cyclotron requires radiation-shielded vaults, specific electrical and cooling systems, and a co-located radiopharmacy. If the supporting infrastructure is not built in time, the machine cannot be commissioned even after arrival.

Procurement and operations are managed separately. Purchase decisions are often made by administrative departments unfamiliar with the operational requirements of the technology. The clinical team that will actually use the machine is not always consulted before the order is placed.

<cite index="41-1">India's expenditure on healthcare at approximately 1.5 percent of GDP translates into one of the lowest per-capita health spending figures in the world — with equity in distribution of medical workforce and equipment remaining a persistent structural challenge.</cite>

[REVIEWER: add clinical insight here — e.g., what the practical impact of a non-functional PET cyclotron looks like for a cancer department trying to manage patient throughput and staging accuracy, and what institutional changes you have seen work elsewhere]

What the Court Has Ordered — and What Comes Next

The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi government to conduct a full audit of unused and non-functional medical equipment across all government hospitals. The order is aimed at identifying the scope of the problem — not just the cyclotron — and creating accountability for machines that have consumed public funds without delivering public benefit.

The court also directed the Delhi government to consider establishing a dedicated toll-free emergency helpline and an effective inter-hospital referral mechanism — recognising that equipment failures and overcrowding at single institutions cause cascading harm to patients.

Whether the audit translates into a working cyclotron, functional radiotherapy machines, or reduced waiting times at DSCI will depend on follow-through at the administrative level. Court orders in Indian healthcare accountability cases have a mixed track record of implementation without sustained judicial monitoring.

What Cancer Patients Using Government Hospitals Should Know

If you or a family member is receiving cancer care at a government hospital and facing long diagnostic delays, here are practical steps to navigate the situation:

Ask your oncologist which tests are time-sensitive. Some imaging can reasonably wait; others — particularly scans used to determine whether treatment is working — carry clinical urgency. Getting clarity on which category your test falls in helps you make a more informed decision about whether to use a private facility.

Check for government schemes. Patients enrolled under Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) or Delhi government health schemes may be eligible for cashless PET-CT scans at empanelled private centres. Ask the hospital's medical social worker or inquiry desk about applicable coverage before paying out of pocket.

Document waiting periods. If waiting times are clinically problematic — for example, a radiotherapy course delayed by several months — put it in writing to the hospital's patient grievance cell. Courts and health regulators take documented records seriously.

Consult the treating doctor before switching centres. If you get a scan or test done privately, bring all original reports back to your government hospital oncologist. Continuity of records is critical to safe cancer management.

FAQ

What is a PET cyclotron used for in cancer care? A PET cyclotron is a particle accelerator that produces short-lived radioactive tracers, most commonly FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose), used in PET-CT scans. These scans help oncologists detect where cancer is located in the body, determine its stage, and assess how it is responding to chemotherapy or radiation. Without a local cyclotron, hospitals must purchase tracers externally, which adds cost and delay.

Why did the DSCI cyclotron remain unused for so many years? According to statements made before the Delhi High Court, the machine — procured in 2017 — could not be operated because no trained specialist was posted at DSCI to run it. A specialist joined from Safdarjung Hospital only in early 2026. The machine still awaits regulatory approval from the relevant atomic energy authority before it can be commissioned.

What did the Delhi High Court order? The court termed the idle cyclotron a "gross waste of public resources" and directed the Delhi government to audit all unused medical equipment across government hospitals. It also called for a dedicated emergency helpline and an inter-hospital referral system to reduce patient harm from equipment failures at individual facilities.

How much does a PET-CT scan cost in Delhi's private hospitals? Private PET-CT scan costs in Delhi typically range from ₹8,000 to ₹15,000 or more, depending on the centre and whether contrast or additional sequences are required. At government facilities, the scan is meant to be available at subsidised rates — but long waiting periods often force patients to the private sector regardless.

Are cancer patients in Delhi eligible for free or subsidised PET scans? Patients covered under Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) or Delhi government health insurance schemes may be eligible for cashless PET-CT scans at empanelled private hospitals. Coverage and eligibility criteria should be confirmed directly with the treating hospital's social welfare or insurance desk, as schemes and their empanelled networks change periodically.