Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) has reached a major milestone in the advancement of medical imaging for southeastern Ontario, officially completing construction of the region’s first positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) suite. A ceremony held on March 26, 2025 celebrated the achievement bringing this world-class diagnostic capability to patients closer to home.
“This is a transformative moment for health care in our region,” said KHSC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Renate Ilse. “With the launch of our PET-CT program, we are joining a small number of hospitals in Ontario equipped with this cutting-edge imaging technology, allowing us to provide earlier and more precise diagnoses for cancer, cardiac conditions, and neurological diseases. Having this capability at KHSC will significantly enhance the level of care we provide.”
The $10 million project was made possible through a combination of government and philanthropic support. The Government of Ontario funded the acquisition of the PET-CT scanner, while the cost of construction was supported by local donors.
“Our government continues to make record investments in health care to connect more people to the care they need, closer to home,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By investing in southeastern Ontario’s first ever PET-CT scanner at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, our government is taking another step to make it easier and faster for more people in the region to access lifesaving diagnostic imaging close to home, for years to come.
“This is a proud day for our community,” said Tamás Zsolnay, President and CEO of the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF). “The generosity of donors ensures that patients no longer need to travel to Ottawa or Toronto for PET-CT imaging. On behalf of patients, I extend my thanks to the family of Britt Smith for his substantial contribution, as well as to the many donors in our community who’s unrestricted gifts of various sizes made this project a reality.”
The PET-CT scanner uses advanced imaging technology, combined with small amounts of radioactive ‘tracer’ materials to detect diseases at the cellular level. The ability to perform these scans in Kingston will significantly improve access to timely and accurate diagnoses for approximately 1,000 patients in the first year of operation alone.
“The PET-CT scanner is a game-changer for our Medical Imaging program,” said Dr. Omar Islam, Head of Radiology at KHSC and Queen’s University. “We will be able to detect diseases at an earlier stage, create more precise treatment plans, monitor treatment response more accurately, and ultimately improve patient outcomes. We are also very proud to have recruited several highly specialized new team members, including Molecular Imaging specialist Dr. Roshini Kulanthaivelu, to oversee our new program and to Co-chair our new PET-CT Clinical Advisory Committee.”
With construction now complete, KHSC has started scanning its first patients and the program will begin to increase its volumes in the coming weeks. The introduction of PET-CT technology marks another step forward in KHSC’s commitment to delivering state-of-the-art health care to the region.
