Why BMT unit neglected?

The Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) unit at Dhaka Medical College Hospital was set up to serve two purposes. First it would open the doors to cost effective treatment for BMT (around Tk 10 lakh) which costs Tk 25 lakh or more in foreign countries. And second, it could save a large percentage of the 7,000 new babies that are born with thalassemia, a blood disorder that results in defective haemoglobin production. The BMT unit is modelled on Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) of Harvard Medical School, which makes it an international standard BMT facility. The sad reality of this unit is that despite being recognised by foreign third-party inspectors as the best BMT facility in South Asia in 2014 it is in a state of financial and personnel crisis.

The facility could give treatment to fifty patients a day if the funding was approved to meet the costs of maintenance, machinery and adequate medical personnel including specialised doctors and nurses. We find the same situation with supplies. The equipment requires regular maintenance and consumables like air filters need to be changed at regular intervals. None of this has been possible due to the fact that repeated pleas made to the concerned ministry appear to be falling on deaf ears.

The BMT unit, if properly funded and staffed could treat various types of blood cancer and thalassemia, which is basically a BMT procedure. A patient requiring a bone transplant needs special care and today it is not just newborn babies but young adults in their 20s and 30s who increasingly need the procedure. We strongly recommend that the health ministry make funds available so that Bangladeshis can have this critical procedure done in-country which will be both convenient and cost effective.