Bone marrow transplant facility in Lahore likely by August

Work underway to train staff and procure equipment

LAHORE: Work is underway for completion of a Bone Marrow Transplant Centre at the Children Hospital. It is likely to be completed by August this year. The chief minister will himself inaugurate the centre.

These announcements were made by Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique at a meeting on Monday.

He said the estimated cost of the project was Rs231.285 million.



Earlier, Children Hospital Medical Director Ahsan Waheed Rathore informed the gathering that work was underway on upgrade of hematology laboratory, training of staff and procurement of bio-medical equipment for the new facility.

He said the first batch of four doctors, a pharmacist, a medical lab technician and four nurses had completed their six month training at the National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBDs). The second batch of two doctors and four nurses had left for Karachi for training.

The meeting was informed that the procurement of electro-medical equipment for hematology and micro-biology labs would be completed in few more weeks. Rafique said some medicines used in bone marrow transplant would be imported after seeking permission from the Drugs Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).



He said the establishment of a bone marrow transplant centre would be another milestone for the healthcare delivery system. He said free treatment facilities would be provided to patients from income-poor families. The meeting was also attended by Institute of Child Health and Children Hospital dean Masood Sadiq, Tahir Shamsi from the NIBDs Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2016.