KEM hospital to start bone marrow transplant programme
KEM Hospital, Mumbai, seeks approval to start a bone marrow transplant program for adults, aiming to offer this facility to underprivileged patients.
MUMBAI: King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital in Parel East plans to start a bone marrow transplant programme and has applied for approval from relevant authorities for the same.
The hospital’s hematology department conducts around 800-900 bone marrow examinations of both adults and pediatric patients annually in its lab, and the reports are also processed in-house.
Hence, the hospital now wants to incorporate a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) programme for adults with benign hematologic conditions. Dr Sangeeta Ravat, dean of the hospital, announced this plan on Saturday at an event organised on the successful completion of the hospital’s 101st Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgery, performed with the aid of an orthopaedic robot.
“We have applied for necessary approval from higher authorities for the bone marrow transplant programme. Why should it be present only in private institutions? People who come to our hospital deserve this facility too,” said Dr Ravat.
Founded in 1926, KEM hospital is funded mainly by the municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai and renders free service to underprivileged sections of society.
However, the hospital lacks the funds to establish a sophisticated advanced treatment programme like bone marrow transplant. Pointing this out, Dr Ravat also called for financial support. “We need donors to help us. As soon as we get the funds, we can go ahead with the implementation of the programme.”
If implemented, the hospital could become one of the first public hospitals in Mumbai to have a bone marrow transplant programme for adult patients.