India has become the hub of medical tourism for bone marrow transplant treatment because of having high-class hospitals with all the advanced medical amenities and experienced surgeons and medical teams. Bone marrow transplant is a very intricate process of transplanting a diseased patient's bone marrow with a healthy bone marrow which will produce blood cells in the body. Stem cells found in the bone marrow are responsible for creating new blood cells every day. Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets— these are different categories of blood cells. All of them have their respective functions in order to keep the body fit and fine. Our bones are where the bone marrow is located. The bone marrow constitutes the spongy inner part of larger bones like the femur. This is where white blood cells are produced; the fighter cells of the immune system. They recognize and kill foreign bodies and pathogens that cause infections in our body, by producing antibodies against them.
When the bone marrow is attacked, our immune system weakens and becomes incapable of fighting off minor illnesses. A bone marrow transplant is required when the bone marrow is severely damaged and unable to produce new blood cells. The BMT is carried out by highly qualified surgeons who specialize in this field.
India also has lower bone marrow transplant costs than other countries. Expert doctors and surgeons perform bone marrow transplants in India at some select hospitals. Government hospitals in India also perform this surgery at reasonable costs. The government hospitals in India are popular for their healthcare and expert doctors along with it very lower costs. Indian government hospitals provide the best of both worlds by offering top-notch treatment at a price that everybody can afford. They also have multiple financial schemes that help people who cannot afford the full price of the treatment.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi - AIIMS is a government hospital located in New Delhi in India. It is known for its exceptional healthcare facilities at a very low cost. The cost for bone marrow transplant in AIIMS lies between 3,00,000 and 5,00,000. This is extremely low compared to the cost at private hospitals. AIIMS, being a government hospital, has multiple schemes for people who cannot afford to get the treatment. They have schemes that offer this treatment for free for eligible patients.
Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung, New Delhi - The first bone marrow transplant was performed in 2023 in Sufdarjung Hospital. It is the largest government hospital in terms of bed capacity. The cost of a bone marrow transplant in Sufdarjung is almost negligible and the technology is advanced. They also have many schemes in place to help the more economically weaker sections of the population in getting bone marrow transplant treatment.
Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai - It is a government hospital located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It provides bone marrow transplants to patients at a subsidized price. It has a haematology department that looks into the needs of patients suffering from blood cancers. A bone marrow transplant generally costs around 2 to 5 lakhs INR in this hospital and patients who cannot afford this can avail for financial aims provided by the hospital.
Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Mumbai - It is a government-funded hospital in Mumbai that offers bone marrow transplant services at a subsidized cost to everyone. People from economically weaker backgrounds can not afford to get treatment from a private hospital due to their extremely high costs, so they tend to get bone marrow transplants from government hospitals. They sometimes also use financial aid provided by the government hospital to get the required treatment done. The cost of a bone marrow transplant in Tata Memorial Hospital is usually around 2 to 6 lakhs.
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh - This government hospital has performed 180 bone marrow transplants in the past 8 years. It offers this service at low prices so that it is easily accessible to everybody. Bone marrow transplant procedure costs around INR 3 to 7 lakhs in this hospital.