CM Punjab Approves ‘Bone Marrow Transplant Center’ Construction
The first-ever bone marrow transplant centre will be established in Punjab next year. Chief Minister Usman Buzdar approved its construction on Wednesday.
Health Secretary Barrister Nabeel Ahmad Awan said that “The facility will comprise 100 beds and an OPD with the capacity of handling 1,000 patients.”
It will be the first of its kind public institute that offers bone marrow transplants and treatment for blood diseases, including cancer. Training of postgraduate students, nurses and hospital staff will also be carried out at the institute.
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The health secretary said that the new centre will carry out up to 100 bone marrow transplants every year. Earlier, this procedure could only be carried out in a limited capacity—between 10 to 30 cases annually—at Children Hospital Lahore.
It will also treat blood disorders such as thalassemia, aplastic anaemia and blood cancers including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
Punjab’s bone marrow transplant centre will start functioning by the middle or end of next year, said Awan. The next phase in its construction has to be approved by the planning and development board.
The expertise of haematologist Dr Tahir Shamsi of the National Institute of Blood Diseases was sought for the project, Awan added.