The McGill University Health Centre says it's dealing with a shortage of a key diagnostic tool that's in short supply because of maintenance problems at an aging nuclear facility near Ottawa.
Medical isotopes are so scarce that the MUHC is prioritizing testing schedules by making sure that the most critical cases are seen first.
Smaller Canadian hospitals could run out of the isotopes altogether by Thursday and will be forced to cancel diagnostic scans. So far the English Montreal hospital network is still receiving its deliveries, Ian Popple, spokesman for the MUHC, told CTV News on Wednesday.
The network is currently measuring its remaining supplies but it's difficult to take stock because supplies and consumption vary from day to day, says Popple.
The hospitals are using a different supply of isotopes from a local producer to ensure patients continue to receive treatment.
Health minister says problem 'serious'
Health Minister Yves Bolduc says he is concerned about the shortage that was caused by major problems at the Chalk River reactor.
"It's something very serious," Bolduc told reporters in Quebec City on Wednesday.
"We know at his moment there was no problem for the patients. We hope that very soon this problem will be resolved."
Chalk River crisis
Chalk River will be shut down for at least three months as maintenance crews attempt to patch a crumbling wall that led to a heavy water leak.
Since the reactor was shut down on May 15, Canadian hospitals have been getting by with extra shipments from reactors elsewhere around the world.
Some patients across Canada who have been booked for diagnostic scans for later this week may have to be rescheduled as a result of the crisis.
Doctors have been able to use an older-technology isotope called Thallium 201 for cardiac therapies and tests, so care for those patients has been little affected. But any type of diagnostic test for non-heart-related issues, such as cancer tests, will not be available when the supply runs dry.
From bad to worse
The Petten reactor in the Netherlands -- the world's second largest for medical isotopes -- has increased production by at least 50 per cent, and a South African reactor has also ramped up production.
But last week, both reactors were shut down temporarily, worsening Canada's supply crisis.
"Terrified" about the situation
To make matters worse for Canadian doctors desperate for isotopes, the Netherlands reactor is also leaking and is scheduled to be out of service for four weeks starting in July.
"The shutdown of the reactor in the Netherlands is going to have a significant impact," Dr. Christopher O'Brien, president of the Ontario Association of Nuclear Medicine, told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday.
"We're very, very concerned about this. If Chalk River is not restarted by that time, the world's two major reactors that produce medical isotopes will be closed simultaneously. The other two or three reactors that we can rely on will not be able to meet demand.
"We are terrified of this situation."
- With Files from ctv.ca -
