AIIMS Nagpur has introduced several new facilities, including its first Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit. This unit is a significant addition to the government-run hospital, designed to treat a variety of conditions such as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, aplastic anemia, sickle cell anemia, and thalassemia.
The BMT Unit boasts advanced infrastructure, including hepa filtration, positive air pressure, and laminar airflow systems, along with a dedicated isolation facility and a highly trained healthcare team. This comprehensive setup aims to support patients through every stage of treatment, from preparation to recovery.
Dr. Prashant P. Joshi, Executive Director of AIIMS Nagpur, highlighted the unit’s importance, stating, “With the opening of the BMT unit, patients suffering from diseases like leukemia now have a major source of relief.” The hospital has treated 1.6 million OPD patients and 59,000 inpatients, performed nearly 14,000 major surgeries, and handles 100-120 emergency cases daily. The critical care beds maintain near full occupancy with a bed occupancy rate exceeding 92%. Government health schemes such as PM-JAY and MJPJAY have successfully utilized nearly 30 crore rupees for patients below the poverty line.
In addition to the BMT Unit, AIIMS Nagpur has completed 28 kidney transplants, 11 corneal transplants, and 5 bone marrow transplants. The hospital has received regulatory approvals for heart transplants, which are expected to commence soon, and efforts are underway to initiate liver transplants.
The Multidisciplinary Sickle Cell Specialty Clinic provides specialized care for sickle cell anemia patients with expertise from general medicine, pediatrics, hematology, cardiology, and other fields.
Dr. Joshi also announced the operational status of the Ikshanam Eye Bank, certified by the Directorate of Health Services under HOTA. The eye bank, equipped with a state-of-the-art Japanese specular microscope, handles retrieval, storage, and transplantation of eye tissues and is prepared to start voluntary eye donation retrieval.