First bone marrow transplant unit launched at Nairobi West Hospital
An air ambulance helicopter prepares to land at the rooftop of the Nairobi West Hospital. Kenyan patients now have the choice of getting treated for blood disorders locally instead of travelling abroad after Nairobi West Hospital installed the country’s first bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit and successfully carried out the first such operation.
What you need to know:
- Nairobi West Hospital installed the country’s first bone marrow transplant unit and successfully carried out the first such operation.
- According to Prof Andrew Kanyi Gachii, the chief medical director at Nairobi West Hospital, the 55-year-old female patient had been suffering from multiple myeloma.
- He explained that the unit has opened access to quality and affordable specialised healthcare in the country, which has been a major concern for patients who have had to travel abroad for advanced medical procedures.
Kenyan patients now have the choice of getting treated for blood disorders locally instead of travelling abroad after a Nairobi hospital installed the country’s first bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit and successfully carried out the first such operation.
According to Prof Andrew Kanyi Gachii, the chief medical director at Nairobi West Hospital, the 55-year-old female patient had been suffering from multiple myeloma.
Describing the unit’s first successful BMT procedure as a milestone in the medical history of the country, Prof Gachii said: “We have successfully transplanted bone marrow to a patient who had multiple myeloma and we expect to discharge her in two days. The hospital aims to provide easy access to bone marrow transplants as a possible cure for patients with complex blood disorders.”
He explained that the unit has opened access to quality and affordable specialised healthcare in the country, which has been a major concern for patients who have had to travel abroad for advanced medical procedures.
During the BMT launch last Tuesday, the hospital’s management said the unit will provide a broad range of services for patients whose bone marrow has been damaged or destroyed by disease, infection, or chemotherapy.
“The unit will also cater for the diagnosis and management of all kinds of blood disorders in adults and children, including cancers of the blood,” the hospital said. Dr Guarav Dixit, the head of the BMT unit, noted that, in some instances, BMT offers the only hope of a cure in treating blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia and acute lymphocytic leukaemia.
“It is usually a safe procedure for patients with sickle cell disease if done at a young age. Other emerging indications that can be treated with BMT include multiple sclerosis and paediatric immunodeficiencies,” he said.
Dr Dixit is a hemato-oncologist (blood cancer specialist) from New Delhi, India, and specialises in BMT, paediatric and adult leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and aplastic anaemia.
He is one of the two doctors who performed the BMT procedure.
He explained that the procedure, known as autogorous, involves harvesting healthy cells from the patient, destroying s abnormal or damaged cells, and re-injecting the healthy cells.
Dr Kibet Shikuku, the chief consulting pathologist at the hospital, said the cancer burden is rising globally, exerting significant strain on populations and health systems at all income levels.
“Being diagnosed with blood cancer can bring fear, frustration, and uncertainty. When detected early, however, blood cancer can be treated successfully," he said.
The hospital said it hopes to perform 70 to 100 BMT procedures in a year.
