Sion Hospital to increase bone marrow transplant facility's capacity from 2 beds to 8

Hindustan Times

09-05-2025

Mumbai: The civic-run Sion Hospital is set to expand its bone marrow transplant (BMT) facility, in a move aimed at improving paediatric cancer care within the public health system.
According to Dr Mohan Joshi, dean of Sion Hospital, the institute will increase its capacity from just two BMT beds to eight in the next three months.
'Currently, the hospital performs an average of 24 bone marrow transplants annually. With the expanded capacity, this number is expected to rise to approximately 100 transplants per year, significantly reducing waiting times,' said Dr Joshi.
Due to the current shortage of beds, many patients were being referred to other centres such as Wadia Hospital or Tata Memorial Hospital, both of which have lengthy queues for BMT procedures, said a doctor at Sion Hospital, who requested anonymity.
The expansion is, thereby, expected to improve access to critical, life-saving transplants for children diagnosed with haematological cancers and genetic blood disorders, particularly those from low-income households in areas such as the nearby Dharavi slums.
BMT programme
Established in 2015, Sion Hospital, officially known as the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, was the first civic medical institution to initiate a BMT programme. The service was briefly interrupted during the pandemic but has since resumed full operations.
Over the years, the hospital has completed 104 paediatric bone marrow transplants, with a reported success rate of 93%, according to Dr Radha Ghiladhial, head of the paediatric department.
BMT is a complex and resource-intensive procedure that often serves as the only curative option for children with severe blood disorders, explained Dr Ghiladhial.
'The process involves conditioning chemotherapy to eradicate diseased marrow, followed by the infusion of healthy hematopoietic stem cells from a matched donor,' she said. 'Patients must remain in sterile isolation for several weeks to prevent infections while the new marrow engrafts and begins producing healthy blood cells.'
Infrastructural constraints and long wait times have posed serious challenges for patients. Conditions such as thalassemia major require lifelong transfusions, which can lead to iron overload and multi-organ complications if not managed with chelation therapy.
A timely bone marrow transplant not only improves survival rates but also eliminates the need for lifelong transfusions, significantly enhancing quality of life, said Dr Ghiladhial. The planned expansion of the BMT facility at Sion Hospital would help improve treatment equity, particularly for underprivileged families who cannot access timely care elsewhere, she added.
Bone marrow transplantation in private hospitals typically costs between ₹25 lakh and ₹30 lakh, making it inaccessible for many. 'For families from low-income backgrounds, this cost is insurmountable,' said Dr Joshi. 'At Sion Hospital, however, the transplant is provided almost entirely free of charge, thanks to government health schemes, donations, and support from non-governmental organisations.' In most cases, families pay no more than ₹30,000 to ₹35,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, he added.
New lease of life
Eight-year-old Imran Shaikh from Dharavi is among the many lives transformed by this programme. Diagnosed with thalassemia major at age two, he required monthly blood transfusions.
With no means to afford private care, Imran's family turned to Sion Hospital. After a six-month wait, he received a successful transplant in 2023. His mother, Fatema, said, 'Sion Hospital didn't just treat him—they gave him his life back. We were guided and supported throughout.'
The expansion project is being fully funded by the nonprofit MKH Foundation, which has signed a memorandum of understanding with the hospital. The foundation will cover the capital costs required for the facility's infrastructure upgrade, including specialised high-efficiency particulate air- or HEPA-filtered isolation rooms, laminar airflow units, and support equipment necessary for sterile BMT environments.
Once complete, this upgraded centre will not only enhance the hospital's annual treatment capacity but also set a benchmark for public-sector paediatric transplant programmes in India.