Dona Paula: The 7 th The Goa Cancer Society’s annual lecture was held at conference hall of Manipal Goa hospital today at 3.30 pm .
Dr Shashikant Apte chief of bone marrow transplant centre at Sahyadri super speciality hospital Poona delivered a lecture on “Stem Cell Transplant “ .
He stressed that bone marrow transplant (blood stem cell transplant) is a curative treatment for Hemato-oncology diseases and also to some benign blood related condition like thalasaemia major. once the primary disease is control (remission), early BMT is cost effective as we avoid infective complications and lesser the need of chemotherapy for primary disease (because it can recurr during waiting periods).
Higher centers in metro cities having waiting list for months together for BMT and patients lands in complications waiting for their turn to come. There is also need for the patient family to be shifted to metro cites for three to six months to complete BMT, as post BMT there is monitoring for months together.
He said that now that it is available in Goa under the care of Dr.Mahadeva Swamy at Manipal-hospital there is no need to visit higher centres.
He added that manipal goa has already done 10 stem cell transplant under dr swami successfully.
Arounf 89 drs from all over goa participated in the cme n question answer session .
Prior to the lecture Dr Apte held a workshop at blood bank of manipal goa hospital and demonstrated to the Drs present how the stem cell harvesting was done using Apheresis Machin .
He also said that Donors harvest nowadays is user friendly, with peripheral blood harvest via Apheresis Machin , there are no chance of any complications for donor.
The program was inaugurated by Shri Shrinivas Dempo chairman of the goa cancer society in the presence of Dr Apte ,dr suresh shetye Vice President, Dr Mahesh Naik secretary and Dr Shekhar Salkar joint secretary of goa cancer society.
Shri dempo in his address highlighted that Goa cancer society spends around Rs 50 lacs every year for financial aid to the tune of 50000 rs for the treatment of cancer patients and Manipal hospital adds similar amounts so any cancer patient can get upton1 lac for treatment if he takes treatment at manipal hospital .
For bone marrow society gives 1.5 lac and manipal hospital shares and equal amount so pts for bone marrow transplant can get 300000 rs for the treatment. Other money is spent on cancer package costing only 1750 for women and 1250 for men at msnipal goa hospital.
So, also society gives grant up to 5lacs for cancer related research and help pts in terminal stage admited at Dilasa. Society also conduct cancer detection camps with the help of manipal goa hospital and other NGOs.
He promised to increase the grants for cancer patients in future.
Dr shekhar salkar moderated the question answer session and Dr mahesh naik compered the function and proposed vote of thanks.
