RANCHI, Dec. 9 -- Jharkhand health minister Irfan Ansari on Tuesday told the assembly that a bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit would soon be set up in the state capital, underlining that the government was also contemplating bearing the cost of bone marrow transplants for thalassemia patients outside the state.

Ansari was replying to a query raised by Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Pradeep Yadav during calling-attention proceedings on the condition of thalassemia patients in the state.

Yadav sought to know whether the government had any data on thalassemia patients and if it planned to bear the cost of bone marrow transplants, crucial for treatment. The Congress minister, in his reply, said the government did not have a clear d...