LAHORE: First patient will undergo bone marrow transplant at the recentlycompleted unit of Children`s Hospital in the second week of August.

`A special team of Punjab Human Organs Transplant Authority (HOTA) inspected the Bone Marrow Transplant Centre (BMTC) here and expressed satisfaction over the arrangements,` Children`s Hospital Medical Director Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore said at a meeting presided over by Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmed Shah on Sunday.

The first of its kind in any public sector healthcare facility in the country, the state-of-the-art BMTC has been completed with a grant of Rs240 million, given by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to ensure provision of treatment and surgical facilities to patients suffering from cancer, haematology and bone marrow disorders.

Prof Rathore said after receipt ofapproval in black and white from HOTA hopefully within the next couple of days, the first patient would be admitted to the BMTC, the first public sector facility, for bone marrow transplant in the next week.

`The poor and deserving patients will avail themselves of treatment facilities at this centre free of cost while in the private sector one bone marrow operation costs at least Rs3 million,` he said.

Prof Rathore said Dr Mehvish Faizan, who got two-year training in the specialty from Birmingham Hospital of the UK, has been appointed in-charge of BMTC. Besides, six doctors and six nurses underwent training as master trainers from the Sindh National Institute of Blood Diseases, Karachi.

`During the last six months, these master trainers have trained more than 60 doctors, nurses and paramedics. The BMTC is manned by highly qualified and trained doctors, nurses and paramedics.

`The Children`s Hospital is implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) of infection control in letter and spirit. That is why there has been no infection in the hospital during the last six months. Infectionfree environment is essential for fast healing of wounds and early recovery of patients of complicated surgical procedures like bone marrow transplant, said Prof Rathore.

Lauding the efforts of the hospital administration for timely completion of development projects, including construction of 680-bed new block, BMTC and other projects, Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmed Shah was all praise for Dr Tahir Shamsi, the project director of the BMTC, for taking keen interest in completion of the centre.

Appreciating the spirit of humanitarian services of doctors, nurses and paramedics posted in the BMTC, he said servinghere would need professional zeal and dedication.

Mr Shah asked Institute of Child Health and Children`s Hospital Dean Prof Dr Masood Sadig to prepare feasibility report for setting up bone marrow centres at the Children`s hospitals at Faisalabad and Multan so that maximum patients could be accommodated.

The secretary also asked Children`s Hospital Medical Director Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore to prepare a summary for creating dedicated special cadre for nurses of such specialties.

Prof Dr Huma Arshad Cheema, the head of Children`s Hospital P a e d i a t r i c Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, told Dawn after the meeting that some 4,000 or so patients suffering from cancer, haematology and bone marrow disorders approach this infirmary annually for treatment.