SCB-Cuttack Achieves Another Milestone With 77th Bone Marrow Transplant Amid COVID-19 Scare

Cuttack: With successful 77th bone marrow transplant (BMT), the Haematology Department of SCB Medical College and Hospital here has achieved another milestone amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BMT unit was shut since lockdown.

According to the new guidelines, the transplant was performed after the patient, Satyavadi Nayak (55) of Khamarsahi in Nayagarh district, underwent a coronavirus test.

He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, and was undergoing treatment at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar. After 10 cycles of chemotherapy, he was referred to SCB. However, his surgery was discontinued, except for the coronary artery, due to COVID-19.

After the government issued new guidelines for surgery and ordered the functioning of normal OT, the department started preparations for the procedure after he tested negative for coronavirus.

Head of the department Prof  Rabindra Kumar Jena said that the SCB was the only state-run hospital in the country to complete 77 cases and provided BMT services completely free of cost to patients suffering from multiple myeloma.

“The last BMT was conducted in the first week of March, following which the BMT was shut down due to coronavirus outbreak. After successful Sunday surgery, the department has already started preparations for its 78th procedure on a 58-year-old patient from Dhenkanal on June 25,” he informed.

He said that the SCB had a better survival rate compared to other hospitals in the country.

SCB was the first state-run health institute of East India to open a BMT unit in 2014.

Also Read:Record: 75th Free Bone Marrow Transplant At Odisha’s SCB Hospital