Apollo Hospitals Celebrates Life With Over 1,500 Patients Who Have Undergone Successful Bone Marrow Transplants (BMT)

CHENNAI, June 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

• Recorded 1,500 BMTs across the Apollo Hospitals Group of which 65% are pediatric cases.
• Apollo Hospitals urge people to donate bone marrow and save lives

Apollo Hospitals, India's first multispecialty chain of hospitals, reached a new milestone with over 1,500 successful Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) procedures conducted on patients at Apollo Hospitals nationally. The 1,500 patients have been treated at Apollo BMT units from all over India including Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kozhikode, Gujarat, Bengal as well as from foreign countries like Oman, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Dubai, UAE, and Mauritius. Apollo Hospitals, Chennai was the first hospital to conduct India's first cord blood transplant and unrelated transplant, and the 1,500 BMT landmark endorses the success of these high end procedures for both children and adults with survival rates comparable to western centres. Bone marrow transplantation saves the lives of patients with blood cancer and serious blood disorders like thalassemia major, aplastic anemia and primary immune deficiency.

Commenting on this milestone, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Executive Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, "We are proud of the commitment and drive shown by our team in this life saving achievement. I am glad that our team has helped over 1,500 patients from across India as well as abroad to celebrate life and win over life threatening conditions through a Bone Marrow Transplant. For us, this number is just one milestone on our journey of healing. Though we have come a long way from the first successful BMT at Apollo in 1995, there are many more patients who are in need of BMT. It is extremely important that people come forward for bone marrow donation and help save more lives."

Sharing his thoughts, Dr. Ramesh Nimmagadda, Director, Medical Oncology, Apollo Cancer Institute, said, "Our patients come to us with a sense of hope and it is with joy and a sense of fulfilment that we are celebrating over 1,500 lives on this occasion. It is not just a milestone that our team has achieved here, but more than that it is an occasion to celebrate the courage, determination and spirit of the patients whose age ranges from 6 weeks to 68 years. Innovation, technology, teamwork and dedication at the hospital have enabled us to take the lead in BMT."

Equipped with highly qualified BMT team, and stringent infection control norms which are critical for BMT patients, BMT treatment is available across the Apollo Hospitals chain at Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Apollo Hospitals was the first private hospital in India to perform the procedure in 1995. Today, the BMT procedure performed at Apollo for over 40 different conditions have resulted in over 1,500 people celebrating life.

Apollo Hospitals group now marks a milestone with the first private hospital in India to cross 1,500 BMT procedures.

Editor's note:  

The burden of hematological diseases, both malignant and non-malignant, is huge in India. About 10,000 children are born with thalassemia major each year, and about 6,000 cases are diagnosed with aplastic anemia per year. The number of leukemia and lymphoma patients is about 100,000. The number of patients requiring bone marrow transplant is also increasing. With the increasing awareness about hematological diseases and rising economy, many patients are opting for bone marrow transplant as a definite treatment for many curable hematological diseases. The real challenge is to be able to find the appropriate match in the family or outside. The chances of finding a genetically suitable match for Indian patient varies from one in 10,000 to one in two million. This requires a large registry but the three registries in India only have around 125000 registered bone marrow donors.

About Apollo Hospitals 

It was in 1983, that Dr. Prathap C Reddy made a pioneering endeavor by launching India's first corporate hospital - Apollo Hospitals in Chennai. Over the years Apollo Hospitals has established itself as home to the largest cardiac practice in India with over 160,000 cardiac surgeries. Apollo Hospitals is also the world's largest private cancer care provider and runs the world's leading solid organ transplant program. As Asia's largest and most trusted healthcare group, its presence includes 9,215 beds across 64 Hospitals, 2,500 Pharmacies, over 90 Primary Care and Diagnostic Clinics, 110 plus Telemedicine Centres and 80 plus Apollo Munich Insurance branches spanning the length and breadth of the Country. As an integrated healthcare service provider with Health Insurance services, Global Projects Consultancy capability, over 15 medical education centres and a Research Foundation with a focus on global Clinical Trials, epidemiological studies, stem cell & genetic research Apollo Hospitals has been at the forefront of new medical breakthroughs with the most recent investment being that of commissioning the first Proton Therapy Center across Asia, Africa and Australia in Chennai, India. Every four days, the Apollo Hospitals Group touches a million lives, in its mission to bring healthcare of International standards within the reach of every individual.

In a rare honour, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo's contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2010. For more than 30 years, the Apollo Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Our hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.

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