Chennai: The first successful bone marrow transplant was performed recently on a 57-year-old man at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. The surgery was performed for the first time in a government hospital in South India. On Friday, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar felicitated the team of doctors who performed the surgery.
Srinivasan, a resident of Puludivakkam was diagnosed with Myeloma, a form of blood cancer and a Haemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation was performed to treat him at RGGH by a team of doctors led by the haematology department chief Margret and hospital dean R Jayanthi.
The Health minister met and enquired about the wellness of Srinivasan at the felicitation event. “The bone marrow replacement surgery department was set up in government hospitals to ease the sufferings of patients affected by cancer and hematological illnesses. The surgery is yet another milestone in the healthcare infrastructure of the country,” added health minister.
The surgery, which would have cost around 6-8 lakhs if it was performed in a private hospital, is the first one performed under chief minister's comprehensive health insurance scheme free of cost. Hospital authorities say that the patient is recovering well and is on follow-up medication at the hospital now.
