Windsor Regional Hospital has been given the funding for a new PET/CT Scanner.
The diagnostic imaging equipment costs around $3.5-million, which is being provided by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The ministry is also providing funding for the operation costs associated with the equipment.
Chief of Oncology at Windsor Regional Hospital Dr. Sindu Kanjeekal says the equipment gives patients better access to specialized diagnostics.
Currently around 60% of local patients are sent to an independent doctor's office in the city to have their scans. When this equipment is not operational they are sent out of the city.
The new equipment is expected to help around 600 patients a year. It's used particularly with cancer patients to view how the body is responding to different treatment protocols. It can also be used in some cardiac and neurological cases.
"It's used for staging of cancer, to assess response to treatment and also if we're worried about recurrence it can be helpful in certain situations," says Kanjeekal.
The equipment is expected to be operational by the end of the year.
Hospital CEO David Musyj says if the equipment is still operational by the time the new hospital is built they will be able to move it to the new facility.
The Windsor Essex Cancer Centre Foundation has committed to covering any installation costs that are not covered by the province.