Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): The Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura has announced that relief is forthcoming for thyroid cancer patients affected by the iodine-131 shortage highlighted in a recent ETV Bharat report.
The institute confirmed that low-dose iodine-131 therapy will resume next week, while high-dose supplies are expected to be restored within two weeks.
In a statement from the Nuclear Medicine Department at SKIMS Soura, officials noted that while low-dose therapy will restart soon, the high-dose therapy will face an additional two-week delay. This update follows a recent email from Brett Mumbai, the main supplier of iodine-131, which reported delays caused by issues with their generator plants. SKIMS Soura relies on Brett Mumbai for its iodine-131 supply, as the isotope is not available on the open market.
The shortage as highlighted by a recent ETV Bharat report has caused significant delays for patients at SKIMS Soura, who have been waiting for nearly a year due to the unavailability of radioactive iodine therapy. The ETV Bharat report detailed how Thyroid cancer patients have faced extended wait times, with some still awaiting treatment scheduled for March as of mid-August.
The report highlighted that the Nuclear Medicine Department at SKIMS has been unable to provide timely treatment due to the drug scarcity, turning what should be a routine procedure into a prolonged and painful ordeal. The drug shortage is causing patients, who are required to stop their thyroid medication six weeks before undergoing therapy, face compounded physical and emotional distress as they wait for doses that are overdue by several months.
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