AIIMS Raipur to set up Chhattisgarh's first Govt pediatric bone marrow transplant centre

Raipur: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bal Ayush Foundation (BAF) for the establishment of the State's first government Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Centre. 

The proposed centre will provide a curative treatment facility for children suffering from life-threatening blood disorders such as Thalassemia, Sickle Cell Disease and pediatric blood cancers. Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) remains the only definitive curative treatment for several severe paediatric haematological disorders.  

At present, patients from Chhattisgarh are compelled to travel to metropolitan cities such as Mumbai and Delhi to undergo bone marrow transplantation, as the specialised service is not available in the government healthcare sector within the State. The new centre is expected to significantly reduce both the financial and logistical burden on affected families while ensuring timely access to advanced treatment, the PIB stated. 

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Lieutenant General Ashok Jindal (Retd.), Executive Director, AIIMS Raipur; Lalit Parmar, Founder and Director, Bal Ayush Foundation; Professor (Dr.) D. K. Tripathy, Medical Superintendent, AIIMS Raipur; and Deepak Chopra, Founder-President of Thalassemics India.

Describing the agreement as a historic milestone, Lieutenant General Ashok Jindal (Retd.) said the initiative would pave the way for providing advanced curative care for children with blood disorders and pediatric cancers, particularly those from economically weaker sections, free of cost in Chhattisgarh. He said the initiative also reflects AIIMS Raipur’s commitment to achieving excellence in patient care by introducing highly specialised medical services that are currently unavailable in any government healthcare institution in the State.

Under the five-year agreement, which can be extended further by mutual consent, AIIMS Raipur will provide the required infrastructure, institutional support and clinical oversight, while the Bal Ayush Foundation will establish and fund the fully equipped Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Centre through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions, support from non-governmental organisations and government grants. The facility will function under the medical licence of AIIMS Raipur and will be supervised by Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist Dr. Sunil Jondhale.

The MoU signing ceremony was attended by Professor (Dr.) Anil Kumar Goel, Head of the Department of Paediatrics, senior hospital administration officials, institutional deans and faculty members.