‘Include bone marrow in transplant scheme’

Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology has requested the government to include bone marrow transplants in the scheme that covers other organ transplants as well.

Dr C Ramachandra, director, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, has submitted a memorandum to the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST), seeking for the inclusion of bone marrow transplants in the organ transplantation programme, under the Arogya Karnataka Ayushman Bharat Scheme. The SAST is the implementing agency of the scheme.

Citing that the cost involved in bone marrow transplant runs into several lakhs of rupees, Dr Ramachandra said the move would benefit several patients.

He added that it had been approved in principle while the order was awaited.

He spoke at the launch of the second phase of the plantation programme at the hospital, being organised in association with the Rotary Club of Bangalore Midtown with funds from RMZ Foundation.

Dr Ramachandra said the new 19-bed facility dedicated to the bone marrow transplantation, one of the largest in the country, is set to be functional from March 2020.

Additional posts

The director has previously sent a proposal asking for additional posts to be sanctioned. Of 1,800 posts that were sought, 464 have been sanctioned while 302 are outsourced.

This includes 200 permanent posts of nurses and 250 outsourced. The hospital needs at least 300 more according to authorities. Plastic surgery specialist and an ortho oncologist are among the other approved posts.

The hospital will now have a permanent post of a psycho oncologist. In addition to this, there will also be a team of four, including a psychiatrist, psychologist and assistants working in the hospital on a PPP model.