Sion Hosp's bone marrow transplant capacity to increase from 2 beds to 8

The civic-run Sion Hospital is set to expand its bone marrow transplant (BMT) facility, in a move aimed at improving paediatric cancer care within the public health system.

- Rupsa Chakraborty

MUMBAI:

According to Dr Mohan Joshi, dean of Sion Hospital, the institute will increase its capacity from just two BMT beds to eight in the next three months.

"Currently, the hospital performs an average of 24 bone marrow transplants annually. With the expanded capacity, this number is expected to rise to approximately 100 transplants per year, significantly reducing waiting times," said Dr Joshi.

Due to the current shortage of beds, many patients were being referred to other centres such as Wadia Hospital or Tata Memorial Hospital, both of which have lengthy queues for BMT procedures, said a doctor at Sion Hospital, who requested anonymity.

The expansion is, thereby, expected to improve access to critical, life-saving transplants for children diagnosed with haematological cancers and genetic blood disorders, particularly those from low-income households in areas such as the nearby Dharavi slums.