Free bone marrow cross-matching camp for thalassemia patients at ADH on Mar 13

Children with thalassemia from Pune and nearby areas have registered for the Friday camp, where blood disorder specialists Dr. Sameer Melinkeri and Dr. Chinmay Umarji of Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital will guide them

A free bone marrow cross-matching camp for children suffering from Thalassemia will be organised at Aundh District Hospital on Friday as part of the ‘Ek Paul Thalassemia Muktikade’ programme, hospital administration said. The programme, launched in Mumbai on May 8, 2025, aims to prevent the birth of children with thalassemia and improve treatment opportunities for affected patients.

The organisers have appealed to families of children with thalassemia who have not yet registered to participate in the camp and take advantage of the free testing and counselling. (FILE)

Children with thalassemia from Pune and nearby areas have registered for the Friday camp, where blood disorder specialists Dr. Sameer Melinkeri and Dr. Chinmay Umarji of Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital will guide them.

The organisers have appealed to families of children with thalassemia who have not yet registered to participate in the camp and take advantage of the free testing and counselling.

They also said that around 1,500 families benefited from free bone marrow cross-matching tests conducted through 12 similar camps in the past.

Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder requiring patients to undergo monthly blood transfusions throughout their lives. Bone marrow transplantation is the only permanent cure for the disease. The procedure is expensive, costing between ₹10 lakh and ₹50 lakh, which makes it unaffordable for many families.

Before the transplant, bone marrow cross-matching tests of the patient’s parents and siblings are required. These tests usually cost up to ₹80,000 per family. Samples often must be sent to laboratories in Germany or the United States, with results taking around three months.

Laxmikant Pimpalgaonkar, the programme’s state coordinator, said that parents receive counseling about the transplant procedure after receiving the test results. Funds for the surgery are then arranged through government schemes and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

He added that more than 90 children from Maharashtra and other states have successfully undergone bone marrow transplants through support from the Thalassemia Support Group in Parbhani and are now living healthy lives.