BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals, a Parkway Pantai enterprise, successfully pioneered the day care Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) transplant program for low risk transplants like autologous transplant for multiple myeloma and mini-allo transplant for various hematological disorders.

The program was initiated over a year back. So far, five patients have received treatment at the day care centre here.Stem cell collection, chemotherapy and stem cell infusion was all done on a day-care basis. Patients followed up daily for clinical assessment and blood work on an outpatient basis.Bone marrow transplant is a life-saving procedure for various disorders like leukemia, bone marrow failure, thalassemia, multiple myeloma and so on. A major limitation of performing this procedure is the associated financial burden. Most patients cannot afford this costly treatment.

The day care BMT centre tackles this issue as it cuts down costs by almost half, making it more affordable for patients. Under this program, most of these patients are admitted only for an average of six days, as compared to three-four weeks, if done as an inpatient.They are admitted only if the white blood cell count drops to critically low levels. Overall, it was noted that infection rates were similar to that of inpatient services, expenses were halved, utilization of hospital resources and manpower was more effective and the patients were able to cope up with the procedure better.All these and more make day care BMT a feasible option in a developing country like India.Somashekar, a 52 year old individual is one of the five to have availed this service at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals. He hails from a remote village in Mysore. He presented to a nephrologist with breathing difficulty and severe swelling of both legs along with kidney failure.

On further investigation, it was found that he had developed a bone marrow condition called MIDD causing protein leak in the kidneys and kidney failure. At this stage, he was advised chemotherapy and BMT to manage this life-threatening disease.He received most of his chemotherapy in Mysore in coordination with the BMT team at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals. Following this, he underwent day care BMT at almost half the cost when compared to conventional inpatient BMT.This mode of treatment also lowered the risks of hospital-acquired infections and the patient showed greater tolerability of the procedure. Somashekar is now doing well and his disease is still under control after two years of diagnosis.

Dr. Sachin Jadhav, Group in charge, Hematology and BMT, Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Bengaluru commented on the initiative, “We are the only team to perform day care BMT in India. We witnessed this idea in Vancouver, Canada where a colleague and I had been on training. When we came back to India, this appeared to be a feasible option for the numerous needy patients who were unable to match the financial burden associated with BMT, many of whom passed away of disease progression. As a team, we worked hard to get this up and running. Now we have a sustainable and established day care BMT program.”Patient’s quality of care is not compromised in this procedure. Chemotherapy and stem cell infusion is carried out as a day care procedure. The patient will continue to follow up with his/her doctor every day. The doctor does a thorough examination of the patient’s blood work and if everything appears to be normal, patient is discharged.A better understanding of BMT procedure, less toxic chemotherapy options, the sound knowledge & 24/7 services of a dedicated transplant team, early identification and effective treatment of complications is what has made day care BMT a possibility.

Thomas Mathew, COO, Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Bengaluru added, “The centre for Bone Marrow Transplant at Gleneagles Global Hospitals is a centre of excellence that has created a record of successful treatment with superior care. Our doctors and technicians are well trained and possess several years of experience in this field of work. Gleneagles Global Hospitals employs state-of-the-art facilities, laboratories and surgeons to offer end-to-end, advanced bone marrow transplants that are consistent with the best standards in the world.”