Dr. Lokesh was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago and needed a bone marrow transplant. He lost two years and Rs.10 lakh in finding a matching donor. He passed away in April despite finding one because it was too late. The death of a general surgeon has sparked off a campaign to create India’s largest bone marrow registry.
The incident spurred action from the Bangalore Medical College (BMC) Alumni Association as they launched the campaign for India’s largest bone marrow registry, supported by a 2.5 crore donation from Infosys Foundation.
The problem statement
- India makes up about 18% of the world’s population.
- But the number of Indian names on any bone-marrow registry in the world is less than 2%.
- Patient end up spending Rs 8 – 10 lakh before finding a match due to the lack of a good number of willing donors.
- Patients also lose valuable time in the process.
The campaign by Bangalore Medical College (BMC) Alumni Association aims to address the lack of understanding and empathy in order to raise the numbers.
What BMC Alumni Association wants to achieve
- Target 10,000 names this year for the registry.
- Aims to reach 1 million in the next 10 years.
- Start the bone marrow transplant unit in Victoria hospital, Bangalore.
Dr K Lakshman, Chairman of Bone Marrow Registry Committee says,
“The shortage of Indian names on the registry must be made up quickly because stem cells of non-Asian region donors will not suit Indian patients.”
Dr KM Srinivasa Gowda, chairman of BMC Development Trust, explains that bonemarrow donation is just an extended blood donation. Donors need not restrict themselves in anyway and donated cells will regenerate in about three weeks. The registry simply draws 5ml sample of blood and conducts HLA (Human Leucocyte Antigen) testing at its own cost. If a patient finds the sample to be matching, the person is contacted. Anonymity is maintained by the registry.
The registry has collected 1,000 samples in the last four weeks. The estimated expense for the first year is Rs.5 crore. The Association has about 4,000 active members, who have always generously supported their projects. They also hope to receive support from corporates and philanthropists too.
