Isotope Shortage Hits Northern Health

By 250 News

Some Northern Health patients  booked for  nuclear medicine  tests for next week, may have those tests cancelled.

Prince George Regional Hospital in Prince George is  watching its supply of  isotopes  dwindle. They are caught in the  supply crunch caused by the shut down of a nuclear reactor at Chalk River Ontario.

It is expected as many as 110 patients will face cancellations. 

PGRH is hoping to pick up the backlog  by  double booking patients and putting in some overtime once the supply of  isotopes has been restored. Some testing such as bone density  and thyroid testing can  go ahead as planned as they use a different type of  nuclear material.

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