An on-again, off-again machine in Saskatchewan that’s vital for diagnosing cancer has been disrupted again, putting at least one family in a bind.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority said Tuesday its PET/CT scanner in Saskatoon — the province’s only such device — was down for two days in December and isn’t running at full capacity.

The revelation came the same day the Opposition NDP raised concerns about the machine.

“This is absolutely appalling,” Keith Jorgenson, the NDP’s associate health critic, told reporters.

“It shocks me that the ministry was unaware of this and has made no plan in terms of how to accommodate the people who are missing this test.”

New Democrats were joined by a woman whose 76-year-old father was scheduled to use the machine this week to determine the scope of his lung cancer, but his appointment was cancelled.

Erin Neufeld said her father was provided with no timeline on when he can get his scan.

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“(I was told) this is the only (machine) in the province. And I just thought to myself, that is irresponsible,” Neufeld said.

“We are a province that deserves our health care, we pay for our health care and we should have adequate testing for these patients.”

The province has said the scanner is crucial for cancer diagnoses and other health conditions, because it does highly effective specialized internal imaging. MRIs, CT scans and X-rays, which are more widely available, are also used to help detect cancers.

The health authority said in a statement there were unexpected production problems in late December at a facility that supplies the machine with the radioactive tracer fludeoxyglucose.

Without the tracer, PET/CT scans could not be performed. The issue resulted in 51 appointment cancellations on Dec. 23 and 24, the authority said.

“The PET/CT scanner remains mechanically functional. The disruption was solely related to the availability of (the tracer),” it said.

The authority said as of Dec. 29, it was able to secure a temporary supply of from Ontario, allowing it to resume scans at about half its regular capacity.

“Imaging teams are prioritizing the most urgent cases while working to reschedule remaining patients as additional supply becomes available,” it said. “We acknowledge the impact this has on patients waiting for medical imaging.”

It’s not the first time the machine has been down.

Internal emails obtained by the NDP through access to information show it was not operational for some days in 2017 and 2018 due to equipment issues.

Jorgenson said the Saskatchewan Party government should have contingency plans in place when the scanner can’t be used.

“I’m not an oncologist, but if I had one of the most deadly forms of cancer, I would not want to wait 70 days to start treatment,” he said.

Neufeld said her father is doing well, but each delay puts him at a disadvantage.

“Every day that he doesn’t get … his treatment started, it is one less day I may get with him. I’m not satisfied with that,” she said.

In 2024, the province announced it’s planning to establish an upgraded diagnostic lab in Regina that would include a PET/CT scanner.

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