In a first, Government Medical College Srinagar and its associated SMHS hospital performed the first and milestone Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant on December 9 on a patient with high risk multiple myeloma.
Bone marrow stem cell transplant remains a challenging treatment procedure in current medical practice even in the developed nations. It needs qualified and experienced medical staff in addition to the tertiary care facility along with an expert in bone marrow transplant.
The patient was admitted in Medical Unit-III of the Postgraduate Department of Medicine and 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.
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.
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, 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 was successful, an official statement said.
This is 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, officials said.