In a first, GMC Srinagar successfully transplants bone marrow stem cells in 54-year-old patient

The Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar achieved a major achievement as the hospital for the first time successfully transplanted bone marrow stem cells in a 54-year-old patient.

A bone marrow transplant is a medical treatment that replaces bone marrow with healthy cells. The replacement cells can either come from your own body or from a donor.

A bone marrow transplant is also called a stem cell transplant or, more specifically, a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Transplantation can be used to treat certain types of cancer, such as leukaemia, myeloma, lymphoma, and other blood and immune system diseases that affect the bone marrow.

Dr. Mir Sadaqat, Assistant Professor-Department of Medicine and Clinical Hematology Unit of GMC and Associated Super-Specialty Hospital Srinagar said, “Bone marrow stem cell transplant remains a challenging treatment procedure in current medical practice even in the developed nations”.

“It needs to be qualified and experienced medical staff in addition to the tertiary care facility along with an expert in bone marrow transplant”, he said.

Adding that he said, “Government Medical College Srinagar and its associated SMHS hospital performed its first and milestone Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant on 09th December in a case of high-risk multiple myeloma successfully”.

The procedure involved stem cell mobilization, stem cell harvesting, myeloablation and stem cell rescue. The patient remained admitted for 22 days in the hospital and was discharged after successful engraftment of the stem cells, Dr. Mir said.

This is the first time in the history of GMC Srinagar that this type of treatment modality in a blood cancer patient has been provided that too in a resource-limited setting. By Providing such treatment modalities to our cancer patients will definitely help them not only as a standard of care for a disease but also an option which was never available before this procedure in GMC Srinagar, he said.

Adding that he said, “Earlier, after a few procedures, we would say patients to carry rest of the treatment outside the valley, but, now the complete process will be done at Government Medical College Srinagar”. Around 10 to 12 doctors were involved in the procedure, Dr. Mir said.

The Government Medical College Srinagar in a statement said, “The whole procedure was conducted/managed by the qualified and experienced Clinical Hematologist Dr. Mir Sadaqat, Assistant Professor-Department of Medicine and Clinical Hematology Unit of GMC and Associated Super-Specialty Hospital Srinagar”.

It was due to the visionary approach of the worthy Principal/Dean, GMC Srinagar Prof. (Dr.) Masood Tanvir and his administration alongwith guidance from respected Prof.(Dr) Rakesh K Koul, HoD Medicine GMC Srinagar, and support from respected Prof. (Dr.) Mohammad Ismail – HoMU-III, mentorship by Prof. (Dr.) Javid Rasool, HoD Clinical Hematology SKIMS Soura and full blood bank support from Prof.(Dr) Sheikh Bilal, HoD Pathology/Blood Bank and Transfusion Medicine which made this state of art procedure successful, the statement reads.