Advanced diagnostic imaging techniques such as PET-CT scanning plays a critical role in cancer and neurological diagnosis and care pathways, offering clinicians enhanced insights and allowing for the most suitable staging and treatment plans. Helen Calvey, commercial and strategy manager with Alliance Medical, explains that the organisation is working closely with both the public and private health sectors to expand PET-CT services and infrastructure to help meet growing clinical demand and ultimately help improve patient outcomes. “Ireland lags behind our European neighbours in the use of PET-CT. Alliance Medical hopes to close this gap.”
PET-CT (positron emission tomography–computed tomography) is a medical imaging technique that combines two types of scans, PET and CT, into one. The PET scan shows how tissues and organs are functioning by detecting radioactive tracers, while the CT scan provides detailed images of the body’s internal structure. Together, they help doctors diagnose, stage, and monitor diseases like cancer with greater accuracy.
Calvey explains that while there is a clear need for enhanced access to PET-CT, this must be developed in parallel with Ireland’s radiopharmaceuticals supply chain. To this end, Alliance Medical is investing in a new multi-million euro radiopharmacy facility, which is expected to be operational in 2027.
Radiopharmacy is a specialised field of pharmacy that prepares radioactive drugs used in medical imaging and treatment. These substances are often used in PET-CT to help doctors visualise how organs and tissues are working inside the body.
The unit will significantly expand national capacity to produce the radiopharmaceutical agents used in PET-CT imaging. “Radiopharmaceutical production is a highly specialised area that requires advanced infrastructure, regulatory oversight, and a dedicated expert team,” Calvey explains. “Centralised facilities with the right scale and expertise can support hospitals nationwide in delivering these services safely and efficiently. This will ensure a more consistent and resilient supply to support diagnostic services across Ireland.”
Alliance Medical already has a proven track record in collaborating strategically with the health sector to increase access and enhance capacity in the area of diagnostic imaging. Its partnership with Cork University Hospital (CUH) has been in place since 2013, and September of this year it will be partnering with the Bons Secours in Limerick to bring PET-CT to the mid-west region. Alliance have commenced 18F-florbetaben (FBB) scanning, which is used to detect beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. “This is an important advance for patients in the south-west,” Calvey explains “it gives clinicians access to a powerful diagnostic tool that supports earlier detection and more informed decisions in managing neurological conditions.”
Alliance Medical is also advancing plans to expand access to PET-CT services in other regions across the country. “It means people don’t have to travel long distances, the PET-CT scanners are highly accessible. These collaborations with both public hospitals and private providers allow teams to deliver services that are clinically integrated and locally responsive,” Calvey says. “The partnerships are built on trust, shared values and common goals.”
Calvey also highlights the value of public-private collaboration as a sustainable and scalable approach to meeting diagnostic demand. “Strategic Partnerships between private providers and both public and private healthcare systems are increasingly being used to expand access to diagnostics,” she notes. “Our work with the HSE and Bon Secours shows how this model enables quicker service expansion, better resource use, and more predictable budgeting. Rather than large capital outlays, structured operational agreements give health systems flexibility and clarity to plan and deliver more effectively.”
As a sponsor of the Future of Diagnostics session at this year’s Future Health Summit, Calvey explains that Alliance Medical is helping shape the conversation around sustainable innovation in healthcare. For example, the rapidly emerging field of theranostics - where diagnostics is combined with targeted therapy - will be enabled by technologies like PET-CT. “It is a pivotal innovation in oncology, allowing clinicians to precisely target tumours and monitor how patients respond in real time,” she says. Expanding PET-CT capacity is not only a step toward enabling theranostics at scale, but also essential for improving access to timely diagnosis and care pathways for patients across Ireland.
