PET CT Scan Price List Delhi — How to Read It & Check Discounts

Search for a PET CT scan in Delhi and within ten minutes you will have seen a price list, a “starting from” figure, a percentage discount, and a package rate. All for what your doctor described as one scan.

Then you ring three centres and get three more numbers, none of which match the website.

This guide is about reading those numbers properly. What a PET CT price list actually represents, why the same scan appears at very different rates, how to check whether a discount or package is a real saving, and the exact questions that turn four confusing quotes into one honest comparison.

It will not tell you which centre is cheapest, because that depends entirely on what is written on your prescription. It will tell you how to find out — in about half an hour.

Why a PET CT price list is not like a lab test rate card

A blood test rate card works because the test is the same for everyone. A CBC is a CBC. You can print one number against it.

PET CT does not work that way, and this is the root of nearly all the confusion.

The scanner is one machine. But the substance injected into your vein changes completely depending on what the doctor needs to see, and that substance is a significant part of the cost. An FDG study and a ⁶⁸Ga PSMA study use entirely different materials, produced by different processes, with different shelf lives.

On top of the tracer, four other things vary: how much of the body is covered, whether the CT component uses contrast, whether delayed or extra imaging is needed, and what the centre includes in the figure it quotes.

So a “PET CT price list” is really a list of starting points for several different procedures. Reading it as a menu of fixed prices is where patients go wrong.

How to read any PET CT price list in Delhi

When you look at a rate list on any centre’s website, ask four questions of every line on it.

1. Which tracer does this row cover?

If the list says only “PET CT Scan — ₹X”, it is almost certainly quoting an FDG study, the most commonly ordered and most widely available one.

If your prescription says PSMA, DOTANOC, FAPI, FDOPA, Exendin or Trivehexin, that row does not apply to you. Those tracers are built on Gallium-68, which has a half-life of roughly 68 minutes — it cannot be produced far away and shipped, because most of it decays in transit. It must be made close to the patient, on the day, from a generator. That is a different procedure with a different rate.

A rate list that does not distinguish tracers is not giving you enough information to compare anything.

2. Whole body, or a region?

A whole-body study typically covers skull base to mid-thigh in one session. A regional study covers a defined area. A brain-only or cardiac protocol is different again. If the row does not say which, ask.

3. Plain CT, or contrast-enhanced?

The CT component can be done plain or with intravenous contrast. If your prescription says CECT or triple phase, a plain-study rate does not apply. This is one of the most common reasons a website figure and a counter bill differ.

4. What is bundled into the number?

The important one. Does the figure include the tracer, the contrast, the consumables and the reporting — or is it the scan charge alone?

Two centres can publish figures that look far apart and end up nearly identical once you compare inclusions. And a centre publishing the lowest number on the page can end up the most expensive at the counter.

The five things most often excluded from a headline rate

None of these is necessarily unfair to charge. What causes the problem is discovering them after the scan rather than before.

The tracer, or the tracer difference

The single most significant one. Sometimes the tracer is excluded entirely. More often the published figure covers FDG, and a Gallium-68 study is charged differently — which is reasonable, but is rarely stated on the rate list.

CT contrast

Quoted as a plain study, billed as contrast-enhanced because the protocol required it.

Reporting

Occasionally billed separately, particularly where reporting is outsourced to an external service rather than done in-house.

Consumables and injection charges

Cannula, syringes and related items, sometimes itemised on the bill.

Additional or delayed imaging

Some clinical questions need a second acquisition after a delay, or extra views. This is a decision the reporting physician makes based on what the first images show — legitimate, but worth asking about in advance.

Discounts, offers and packages — how to check whether they are real

Percentage discounts are common in Delhi diagnostics, and some are genuine. The problem is that a percentage is meaningless without knowing what it is a percentage of.

The four questions that test any discount

“Discount on what base rate?” Fifty per cent off an inflated list price and no discount off a realistic one can land in exactly the same place. Ask for the figure after discount, not the percentage.
“Does the discount apply to the tracer as well, or only to the scan charge?” If the discount applies only to a component that was a small part of the bill, the saving is small.
“Does it apply to my prescribed study?” Many offers apply to FDG whole body only, and not to PSMA, DOTANOC or FAPI studies.
“What is the final total I will pay at the counter after this discount?” This is the only number that matters.

If a centre can answer the fourth question in writing, the discount is probably real. If the conversation keeps returning to the percentage, ask the fourth question again.

On packages

Package rates can be genuinely useful, particularly where a scan and related investigations are bundled. Two checks:

Do you actually need everything in the package? A bundle containing tests your doctor has not asked for is not a saving.
Is the bundled rate lower than the same items priced individually? Ask for both figures.

On “starting from” pricing

A “starting from” figure is, by definition, the cheapest possible version of the simplest possible study. It is not dishonest — it is just not your rate unless your prescription happens to match the simplest case.

Treat it as the floor of a range, not as a quote.

The half-hour method: comparing three centres properly

This is the practical part. Done properly, it takes about thirty minutes and gives you a genuine comparison rather than three half-remembered phone conversations.

Step 1 — Photograph the prescription

The whole slip, not just the scan name. The indication your doctor has written matters, because it affects the protocol.

Step 2 — Send the same message to three centres

Use WhatsApp rather than phone calls, deliberately. You want written replies you can put side by side. Send exactly this:

“Attaching my prescription. Please tell me the total, all-inclusive amount I will pay at the counter for this exact scan — including the tracer, contrast if required, consumables and reporting. Also please confirm whether this tracer is available and on which date. Kindly reply here in writing.”

Step 3 — Compare the replies, not the impressions

Put the three written answers next to each other and check:

Did each one give a total, or a partial figure?
Did each confirm the tracer is available, and by when?
Did each state who reports the study?
Did each give a report timeline?

A centre that answers all four in writing is dealing with you straight, whatever its number. A centre that will not put a total in writing has told you something important.

Step 4 — Add the costs that appear in no quote

Before deciding, add these to each option:

Travel both ways. This is a two to three hour appointment with a fasting patient. That is a cab each way, often two if an attendant travels separately.
An attendant’s day. Someone has to come. For most families that is a day of leave.
Pickup availability. Ask whether it is offered and up to what distance it is complimentary.

A centre quoting slightly less but sitting 45 minutes away in traffic is frequently not the cheaper option once two round trips are counted — and the patient arrives more tired.

The most expensive line item is one that appears on no price list

A repeated scan.

An FDG PET CT depends on preparation. Blood sugar must be within an acceptable range, because FDG is a sugar analogue and circulating glucose competes with it. Fasting of roughly 6 hours is needed. Strenuous exercise for around 24 hours beforehand causes muscle uptake that can obscure findings. Cold exposure activates brown fat, which also takes up the tracer. Movement and talking during the 45 to 60 minute uptake period show up on the images.

If any of that is not explained properly, the images can be difficult to interpret. A repeat is the full amount again, another fasting morning for someone already unwell, another day of leave, and a delay to a treatment decision that was waiting on the result.

So add one more question to your list: “Will I receive written preparation instructions specific to my tracer?” A centre that cannot commit to that is quietly transferring a risk to you.

Where a low rate is a false economy

There are sensible places to save on a PET CT, and places where saving reverses.

Sensible

Choosing a centre near you rather than across the city
Using pickup rather than two cab bookings
Combining blood work or sampling into the same visit where clinically appropriate
Getting insurance or scheme approval in place before booking
Insisting on an all-inclusive figure so nothing is added later

Not sensible

Accepting a different tracer than prescribed because it is cheaper or more readily available. FDG uptake in prostate cancer is often low, which is precisely why PSMA is used there. Substituting usually means paying twice.
A centre that will not give preparation instructions in writing.
Not knowing who reports the study. The report is the entire product.
Leaving previous scans at home. Comparison against earlier imaging is usually the real clinical question. A report without it answers less for the same money.
Splitting a scan sequence across centres to chase small differences, making every subsequent comparison harder.

Before you compare prices at all, check coverage

Families spend considerable effort seeking a modest discount and almost none checking whether the scan is covered. The second is worth far more.

If your treatment is covered under a health policy, a corporate scheme or a government scheme such as CGHS or ECHS, the associated diagnostic imaging may also be reimbursable — but the process usually has to begin before the scan, not after payment.

Ask your treating hospital’s insurance or TPA desk whether PET CT is covered for your indication
Ask whether it is covered as an outpatient investigation or only during an admission
Ask what paperwork is required and who raises it
Ask the diagnostic centre whether they are empanelled with your insurer or scheme
Make sure the prescription states the clinical indication, not just the words “PET CT”

That last point decides claims. A slip reading “FDG PET CT whole body for restaging — carcinoma breast, post 4 cycles chemotherapy” connects the investigation to a diagnosed condition. One reading only “PET CT” tells an assessor nothing.

What each tracer is for — so you know which row applies to you

FDG

A glucose analogue tagged with Fluorine-18, half-life about 110 minutes. Used across most solid tumours and lymphomas for staging, response assessment and recurrence detection. The most widely available study, and usually what a generic “PET CT” rate refers to.

⁶⁸Ga PSMA

For prostate cancer — staging high-risk disease and investigating a rising PSA after treatment. FDG often performs poorly here, which is why PSMA exists.

⁶⁸Ga DOTANOC

For neuroendocrine tumours, which frequently express somatostatin receptors. Also used to assess suitability for PRRT, making it a gateway to treatment rather than only an image.

⁶⁸Ga FAPI

Targets the tumour stroma rather than the tumour cells. Useful where FDG underperforms — several gastric, pancreatic, hepatic and biliary cancers among them.

FDOPA

Used in Parkinsonian syndrome evaluation, certain brain tumour questions and specific endocrine indications.

Exendin and Trivehexin

Highly specialised studies for narrow questions — Exendin for insulinoma localisation, for example. Available at very few centres.

If the word on your prescription is unclear, or means nothing to you, do not guess and do not let a booking desk guess either. Photograph it and send it. Identifying the study is the centre’s job.

What to expect on the day, so you can plan the whole cost

Registration and blood sugar check. Paperwork, then blood glucose measured.

The injection. Through a vein in the arm, much like a routine blood test. It does not hurt beyond the needle prick and does not make you feel unwell.

The uptake period. Roughly 45 to 60 minutes of genuinely quiet rest. No walking about, not much talking, phone on silent. Muscle activity in this window shows up on the images — talking activates the larynx, walking activates the legs. Most patients are not warned about this and find it the most surprising part of the day.

The scan. Typically 20 to 30 minutes. The ring is open at both ends — not an enclosed tunnel like an MRI, and much quieter.

Afterwards. You can normally eat and resume your routine. Drink water to help clear the tracer, and keep some distance from pregnant women and young children for the rest of the day as a standard precaution.

Plan two to three hours at the centre and do not schedule anything tight afterwards.

What we do about pricing, stated plainly

Our rates are published openly on this site — FDG whole body Rs 7,999, FDG brain Rs 9,999, PSMA Rs 15,999, DOTANOC Rs 19,999, FAPI Rs 21,999, with the rate for every study listed. Each figure includes the scan, the tracer and the reporting, and nothing is added at the counter.

Each study has its own published rate, because FDG, PSMA, DOTANOC, FAPI, FDOPA, Exendin and Trivehexin studies are different procedures, and coverage or contrast can change the protocol.

To confirm the figure for your exact study: send us the prescription and we give you the complete all-inclusive figure for your exact study, in writing, before you book.

Call 8368225620 or 7011968879 and our reception will confirm the all-inclusive rate for your prescribed scan, or send a photograph of the prescription on WhatsApp for a written reply. There is no charge for asking and no obligation to book.

And put the questions on this page to us as well. If we cannot answer them clearly, that tells you something too.

Neurad Diagnostic and Healthcare LLP

A dedicated PET-CT and nuclear medicine centre at B-3, opposite Metro Pillar No. 233, near Paschim Vihar West Metro Station, New Multan Nagar, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi-110056. Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

An in-house ⁶⁸Ga generator, so PSMA, DOTANOC, FAPI, Exendin and Trivehexin studies are produced on site and scheduled on working days rather than held until an outside supply is arranged.

Reported by our own nuclear medicine team, not outsourced.

Written preparation instructions specific to your tracer, sent when you book.

Blood sugar checked before injection as standard, with diabetic patients planned in advance rather than managed on the morning.

Your previous imaging compared, provided you bring it.

Scan, image-guided sampling and blood work in one visit where clinically appropriate.

Complimentary pickup and drop within 3 km; beyond that, Rs 50 per km.

CT scan rates published openly on our CT page, study by study — alongside our PET CT rates, which are published on our PET CT page.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a standard PET CT scan price list in Delhi?

No. Published lists are starting points for particular studies, usually FDG whole body. Your rate depends on the tracer prescribed, the coverage, whether contrast is used and the clinical indication. Ask each centre for the total all-inclusive figure for your specific prescription.

Why is the website price different from what I was told on the phone?

Usually because the website figure is a starting rate for the simplest study, and your prescription requires something different — a different tracer, whole body coverage, or contrast. Ask which of those applies to your case.

Are PET CT discounts in Delhi genuine?

Some are. A percentage alone tells you nothing, because it depends on the base rate. Ask four things: discount on what base, does it cover the tracer, does it apply to my prescribed study, and what is the final total at the counter. Judge by the fourth answer.

What does “starting from” mean on a PET CT rate?

It is the cheapest version of the simplest study — typically FDG, plain CT, limited coverage. It is the floor of a range, not a quote for your scan.

Should I choose the centre with the lowest quoted price?

Only after checking that the quotes cover the same things. Compare inclusions, tracer availability, who reports the study, report timing, and travel. The lowest quoted figure is sometimes the highest final bill.

Why do PSMA and DOTANOC cost more than FDG?

They are built on Gallium-68, with a half-life of roughly 68 minutes, so they must be produced close to the patient on the day rather than supplied from a distant facility. That is a different production requirement, reflected in the rate.

Can I ask for a rate in writing before booking?

Yes, and you should — at every centre. An advertised rate is marketing; a written all-inclusive figure for your prescription is a commitment. Ask for it on WhatsApp so you have a record.

Does insurance change what I should compare?

Considerably. If the scan is covered, the comparison shifts to which centres are empanelled with your insurer and what paperwork is needed. Check coverage before comparing rates.

What is the most expensive mistake when booking a PET CT?

Having to repeat the scan because preparation was not followed, or paying for a scan with the wrong tracer that cannot answer the clinical question. Both cost the full amount twice.

Do I need a prescription?

Yes. A valid prescription is required for all PET CT studies, both clinically and as a regulatory requirement.

How long will I be at the centre?

Plan two to three hours: registration and blood sugar check, injection, a 45 to 60 minute uptake period, then a 20 to 30 minute scan.

Get your figure in writing

Photograph the prescription and send it to 8368225620 on WhatsApp with one line: “Please send me the total all-inclusive amount for this scan, in writing.”

You will get the complete figure for your exact study, the next available slot, and the written preparation instructions for your tracer. Then send the same message to two other centres and compare the written replies.

Prefer to speak to someone? Call 8368225620 or 7011968879, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and our reception will confirm the all-inclusive rate for your prescribed scan.

This page explains how PET CT pricing and discount offers generally work in Delhi and is not a comparison of, or comment on, any named provider. Rates advertised by diagnostic centres change and vary; confirm current figures directly with each centre. This is general information, not medical advice. Which scan you need is decided by your treating doctor, and a valid prescription is required for all PET CT studies.