Blood disorders including thalassemia and sickle cell are very common in Vidarbha and central India. For these blood diseases, Bone Marrow Transplant is the only long-term treatment option. The successful BMT at AIIMS, which was funded by government health programs, maybe a blessing for the underprivileged individuals who have these illnesses.
Nagpur: Recently, the bone marrow transplantation (BMT) procedures for two pediatric patients were successfully completed by the hematology department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Nagpur. With the addition of this feature, AIIMS became the first and only government hospital in Maharashtra to offer it.
The prevalence of blood disorders including sickle cell and thalassemia is particularly high in Vidarbha and central India. The only long-term treatment for these blood diseases is BMT. The prosperous BMT at AIIMS, with the financial assistance of government health programs, could be a blessing for the underprivileged individuals who suffer from these ailments. The two procedures performed in AIIMS over the past three weeks weren’t on people with thalassemia, though.
The first patient was a 12-year-old boy with aplastic anemia, a deadly condition in which the patient’s bone marrow’s blood-producing cells are depleted while a 17-year-old girl with refractory CNS cancer (brain lymphoma) served as the second patient.
The standard course of treatment for young children with such serious illnesses is a bone marrow transplant, but there are significant obstacles, according to Dr. Rahul Arora, head of the medical hematology department at AIIMS Nagpur.
The 12-year-old child discovered his older sister to be a perfectly matched donor. After extensive conditioning therapy and stem cell injection, the patient made a full recovery in three weeks. He was released without experiencing any significant issues.
Chemotherapy was given to the girl since she had cancer in order to control her condition. She was given the option of receiving an autologous stem cell transplant to assure long-term illness management. Before receiving a strong dose of chemotherapy, her stem cells were preserved and later put into her. She also made a full recovery in three weeks.
Dr. Vibha Dutta (SM), Director and CEO of AIIMS said , “BMT is essential for patients with hematological illnesses & one should make use of the hopital’s reasonably priced services for the same.” The department of hematology , pediatrics doctors and particularly trained nursing personnel were recognized for their efforts in maintaining strict aseptic conditions and supporting patients and their caregivers throughout the course of treatment by medical superintendent Dr. Manish Shrigirwar.
The director of the Nagpur Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Center, Dr. Vinky Rughwani, applauded this development. “This is a great beginning. Hopefully, BMT for thalassemia patients will begin soon. Vidarbha will genuinely profit from it because traveling to Mumbai, Hyderabad, or Bengaluru for BMT is not always possible according to Dr. Rughwani.
