PGI expert urges govt to install Rs 50-lakh bone marrow transplant machine in Shimla

Life could become much easier for hundreds of haematology patients in Himachal if the government installs a bone marrow transplant machine (Plasma apheresis) at the tertiary cancer hospital in Shimla. “A lot of patients battling haematology diseases will benefit if this machine is installed in Shimla. A lot of patients rush to the PGI for bone marrow transplant, where the waiting list is long and they have to wait for three to four months,” said Dr Pankaj Malhotra, HoD, Department of Haematology, PGI. Dr Malhotra is in Shimla for a two-day symposium on haematology-related diseases.

The haematology-related diseases include blood cancers like multiple myeloma, lymphoma and other serious diseases like thalassemia, haemophilia, etc. The three-four month wait for bone marrow transplant could prove dangerous for the patient as the cancer, especially if it is an aggressive cancer, could spread quickly. “The patients, however, would get timely treatment if the machine is available in Shimla. In haematology-related diseases, timely treatment is critical,” said Dr Malhotra.

And it will take just Rs 50 lakh to install this machine. Incidentally, the state government has been spending a lot of money to upgrade the health infrastructure in the state. A lot of state of the art equipment including the facility of robotic surgeries, has been installed in medical colleges and Atal Institute of Medical Super Specialties.

“I have noticed that PET CT Scan facility has come up in Shimla. It’s a very good diagnostic facility. The bone marrow transplant facility, as and when available, will also provide big relief to the haematology patients,” said Dr Malhotra. He further said that machine would not only help in haematology-related diseases but also general patients whose platelet count has gone down due to dengue, pregnancy or some other issues. Dr Malhotra further said he would stay in Shimla to oversee the initial transplants, and to train staff for the procedures.

In the two-day symposium at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC), Shimla, haematology specialists from the PGI Chandigarh, AIIMS Delhi and Bilaspur, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, Rohini, and Lucknow will engage in intensive discussions to discuss ways to combat cancer, the latest treatment options and the benefits of new cancer-related research being conducted around the world.

Dr Manish Gupta, Head of the Cancer Department at the IGMC, said, “I hope that the bone marrow transplant facilities will soon be available in Shimla.”