Despite the hype surrounding the inauguration of the country’s first ever bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit, not a single patient had undergone the transplant procedure in three months since the unit officially opened its doors.
Seeking anonymity, several responsible officials of the BMT unit told the Dhaka Tribune that the unit was yet to secure an infection-free clearance that was mandatory before carrying out the procedure on patients. The clearance from international BMT experts was given after an assessment of infrastructure, equipment, machineries, reagent and other aspects.
Sources said Dr Vikram Mathews, professor of hematology and a BMT expert from Christian Medical College of Bengalooru in India, was now in Bangladesh to inspect the standard of the BMT unit at the DMCH. He was reportedly assigned by the Massachusetts General Hospital of the US to make the assessment visit and submit a report.
Several other BMT experts including Dr Bimolanshu Dey from Massachusetts General Hospital were also currently visiting the DMCH’s BMT unit.
Local and international BMT experts are also scheduled to meet with Health Minister Mohammed Nasim at the secretariat today for updating the minister on the latest status of the BMT unit.
Prof Dr MA Khan, head of the BMT unit, said a meeting was held with Dr Mathews on Saturday, where he empasised on an infection-free environment at the unit. The machines were currently being run on a test-basis and their accuracies were being examined, he added.
Sources however said the assessment by the visiting Bengalooru doctor was positive.
Former health minister Dr AFM Ruhal Hoque inaugurated the five-bed BMT unit and a high-tech BMT laboratory – which cost Tk200m to be built – at the DMCH on October 20 last year. Although it was then announced that the first transplant procedure would take place on October 26, the deadline could not be reached.
Preferring to stay unnamed, a senior DMCH official said the announcement for the first bone marrow transplant on October 26 was just a “political stunt.” The BMT laboratory was not up to the mark to do the operation at that time, the official claimed.
It has been learnt that the BMT unit initially lacked essential equipment like an irradiator, which has recently been set up to enable the unit to go for its first BMT procedure.
Dr Bayezid Khurshed Riaz, project director of the DMCH-2, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the initial date for the procedure had to be rescheduled because the doctors wanted to carry out the transplant with full preparation, as any accident would have caused patients to lose confidence.
The first procedure is likely to be carried out in mid-March, Riaz said, adding that the initial transplant would be assisted by an expert team from the Massachusetts General Hospital.