TV
The Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) in Cuttack earmarked another major milestone for healthcare services in Odisha after successfully performing an allogenic bone marrow transplant on a two-year-old child. This is the first time when such a procedure was performed on a child in Odisha.
The procedure was carried out on Wednesday by the Hematology Department of the SCB Medical College. However, it was highlighted even more by the fact that the donor was a four-year-old girl, marking another one-of-a-kind scenario.
In the heartwarming story, shared by SCB MCH on X (formerly Twitter), a two-year-old girl, named Aliza Naaz from Dhanbad in Jharkhand, was suffering from blood cancer and was under treatment outside Odisha. However, she required an urgent bone marrow transplant to survive.
The procedure would have cost Rs 40 lakh but the Odisha Government stepped in and bore the entire cost. Thereafter, SCB Medical College stepped in and carried out the transplant procedure using stem cells from the bone marrow of her elder sister, Aatifa Naaz.
As of the last reports, both the sisters are stable and are recovering well.
The successful procedure not only marked a significant medical advancement for the SCB Medical College but also advanced the state of healthcare services offered in Odisha, positioning it as a prime provider of quality health services across the country.
ALSO READ: Odisha woman donates piece of liver to sister-in-law in 'rare act of selflessness'
Notably, the SCB Medical College and Hospital performed its first kidney transplant in 2012 and successfully performed its first liver transplant in April 2024. In November of last year, Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling stated that SCB was also in the process of beginning its first heart transplant and that a screening process for the same was underway.
