MUMBAI, June 7 -- Mumbai's KEM Hospital will begin providing bone marrow transplants (BMT) in 2026, making it the first public-run facility in Maharashtra to offer both adult and paediatric patients this life-saving treatment under one roof. The initiative marks a significant expansion in public healthcare access, especially for patients from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have long struggled to afford this life-saving treatment. Until now, BMT services by the BMC were limited to children and available only at Sion Hospital and the Thalassemia Care Centre in Borivali. Adult patients, however, had no access to such transplants in any government or municipal hospital. That gap is set to be addressed with the new transplant centre at KEM Hospital. Dr Chandrakala S, head of the haematology department, said the centre would be housed on the second floor of the hospital's new building, equipped with four high-tech transplant units. Bone marrow transplants-technically known as hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT)-involve replacing diseased or damaged cells with healthy ones. They are often the only curative option for a range of life-threatening conditions such as leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, aplastic anaemia, thalassemia and sickle cell disease. But the cost of the procedure can range anywhere from Rs.10 lakh to Rs.30 lakh per patient in private hospitals, placing it far beyond the reach of most families who seek treatment at public hospitals. Patients who need BMTs often suffer from rare or chronic blood-related disorders that require specialised care. Children born with thalassemia, individuals with relapsed blood cancers, or those with bone marrow failure syndromes frequently depend on transplants for long-term survival. Dr Chandrakala pointed out that nearly 99% of the patients treated at KEM were from low-income backgrounds. "We will rely on donations to cover the cost of treatment so that financially weak patients don't have to bear the burden of such an expensive procedure," she said. "Unlike Tata Memorial Hospital, where only cancer patients undergo BMT, our centre will also address a wider range of blood disorders that can be cured through this transplant." Dr Chandrakala said that of the total patients who come to the hospital, around 30 each month require a bone marrow transplant. However, there are not enough government centres available, and most patients cannot afford the high cost of treatment. Between 1983 and 2023, an estimated 30,000 BMTs were performed in India across 119 centres, most of them in private hospitals. Every year, the country records over 10,000 new cases of leukaemia and an equal number of children are born with thalassemia. Dr Sangeeta Rawat, dean of KEM Hospital and Medical College, emphasised the statewide importance of this move. "This will be Maharashtra's first public hospital where not just cancer, but also inherited blood disorders in both children and adults will be treated," she said....