Lahore’s Children Hospital performs first bone marrow transplantation

LAHORE: First two bone marrow transplantation procedures in Children’s Hospital successfully were carried out. Children’s Hospital Lahore is the first public sector hospital across the country where bone marrow transplantation started.

Children’s Hospital Dean Prof Masood Sadiq and Medical Director Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore stated this after successful completion of bone marrow transplantation in two children i.e. Bilal two-year and Aashir four years, in a press conference here at Children’s Hospital  on Tuesday. The sisters of both the children have donated their bone marrow for their younger brothers.

Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore said it had become possible only due to the personal interest and attention paid by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif with a view to providing best healthcare facilities to the people of Punjab. Prof Rathore informed that both the donors and recipients are stable and their health is improving. He informed that the chief minister has appointed Project Director Dr Tahir Shamsi who is the pioneer of bone marrow in Pakistan and the Director of National Institute of Blood Diseases, Karachi (NIBD). He said the doctors of Children’s Hospital have written a new  medical history in Pakistan by conducting successful bone marrow transplantation in public sector hospital.

Dr Tahir Shamsi, responding to a question informed that the procedure was carried out after tissue matching of siblings and after giving anesthesia 200-250ml bone marrow was obtained from the donors and infused in the recipient patient. The patients have been kept in infection-free atmosphere for seven to eight weeks.

He informed that after infusion bone marrow starts producing fresh blood. Dr Shamsi informed that the successful rate of this treatment is about 70 percent all over the world. He informed that so far 2,000 bone marrow transplants have been carried out in Pakistan and all were in the private sector as before  Children’s Hospital Lahore there was not a single such facility available in Pakistan in public sector.

Prof Rathore said since the bone marrow transplant facility is available in Children’s Hospital; therefore, many lives of children could be saved. Prof Masood Sadiq  said that Children’s Hospital has become a centre of excellence and we are starting training programme in bone marrow transplant for the doctors, nurses and paramedical staff with a plan to introduce this facility in other hospitals of Punjab such as Nishtar Hospital, Multan and Bahawalpur. Prof Masood Sadiq and Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore congratulated the whole team of doctors, nurses and paramedics, who are specially trained for this procedure, on their success.