Bhubaneswar: In an attempt to provide substantial monetary relief and facilities to the patients suffering from bone marrow cancer in the state, the Odisha government is actively considering to set up Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) clinical technology.

This was decided at a high level meeting presided over to this effect was held under the chairmanship of chief secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik at the State Secretariat here recently.

The meeting revealed that a number of patients from Odisha are going outside for this type of costly treatment.

Available data shows the facility is available at few hospitals in New Delhi, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Vellore, Banglore, Chennai, Pune and Kolkata.
Around 159 patients from Odisha underwent various types of such treatment in 2006-07 by spending near about Rs 18 crore.

Preliminary assessment shows that over the last four years, around 3000 patients in the State have been detected requiring BMT.

According to experts, the cost of autologous BMT if done in Odisha will cost around Rs 2-3 lakh whereas it costs Rs 8-10 lakh for patients going outside.

Similarly, allogenic BMT in the state will cost around 10 lakh for which a patient has to spend Rs 20 lakh by going outside.

Taking all these into consideration, the chief secretary asked the members of Expert Committee to identify existing facilities in Odisha which could be utilized for the purpose.

It was revealed that there are many diagnostic and supportive therapy facilities are presently available at the SCB Hospital.

Facilities like flow cytometer, immunotyping, freelite assay, automated cap Z. elect, biopsy, blood irradiator, apheresis machine, new clinical haematology ward etc are presently functioning in SCB Hospital.

It has been estimated that near about Rs 2 crore will be necessary to start the first phase of Autologous BMT.

Patnaik asked the expert committee and medical authorities to make detail plan for maintenance of machines, running of machines and putting the right kind of people in right place for appropriate service with zero failure and to prepare a detail project plan, plan of operation and maintenance submit to the government for approval.

Present at the meeting, Head of the Department of Clinical Hematology of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack Dr RK Jena along with the expert team presented the different dimensions of this clinical technology.

Among others, principal secretary finance Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, secretary health PK Mohapatra, Dr SR Mohapatra form SCB Medical College and Hospital, Col DK Mishra from Tata Medical Centre and deputy secretary health Kulamani Mishra along with other senior officers were present at the meeting.