The Union government intends to establish centers at Safdarjung, RML, and Lady Hardinge hospitals in Delhi to make bone marrow transplants more cheap and affordable.

The maximum expenditure for a patient at these centers would be roughly Rs 2 lakh, primarily on medicines and diagnostic tests not available at hospitals. Private hospital prices range from Rs 12 to Rs 30 lakh, depending on the donor type and source of stem cells. AIIMS can do 15 transplants each month; however many patients may need to wait for months owing to financial constraints.

According to the Indian Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, almost 1,200 bone marrow transplants are performed in Delhi-NCR each year, including at least 200 at AIMS, even though 3,200 patients need the transplant.

Dr. Rahul Bhargava, director of haematology at Fortis Memorial Research Institute Gurgaon, who also attended the meeting, stated that he was willing to do treatments at government hospitals for free and would train the personnel so that they could eventually execute them themselves.

Doctors stated that a patient receives healthy stem cells (blood-forming cells) to replace their stem cells, which have been killed by radiation therapy or heavy doses of chemotherapy. Healthy stem cells may be derived from the patients bone marrow or from a related or unrelated donor.

Dr. BL Sherwal, the medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital, stated that the infrastructure and staff are in place and that the facility will be operational shortly. 

Dr. Subhash Giri, the director of Lady Hardinge Medical College and associated hospitals, confirmed that an area had been identified for the facility and that logistics were being procured. He hoped to open the facility in the coming months with two beds initially, which will be increased to six later.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/hospitals/bone-marrow-transplants-to-start-at-three-central-govt-hospitals-soon/99280725)