University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) on Friday said it had conducted the second successful stem cell transplant for a 15- year-old sickle cell patient in Benin.
Dr Nosakhare Bazuaye, consultant Haematologist and Coordinator of UBTH stem cell transplant centre, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin.
Bazuaye, who spoke on behalf of the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Michael Ibadin, said that the operation was successful and that the patient’s genotype had changed from SS to AA.
“In 2011, we announced our first transplant for a patient that had sickle cell disease.
“We have done a second successful transplant for a 15-year-old boy whose transplant took place 102 days ago. The first patient that was transplanted is two years post transplant now, his haemoglobin is AA and he is perfectly okay.
“By WHO regulations, patients are certified fit after 100 days of transplant, so the current patient is over a hundred days and his genotype is AA and has not had any crises since then. So with this, we are now discharging him to go home”, the consultant said.
Bazuaye said that the second transplant had to be conducted after two years due to inadequate facilities and financial constraints of the patients.
“We have about three per cent of Nigerians who have this sickle cell disease.
“We are hoping that the Federal Government and NGOs would put some money into establishing an international centre in UBTH to provide this mode of therapy for most Nigerians.
“We are happy that we have successfully done a second transplant. We are hopeful that with assistance from the Federal Government and NGOs, we will do more transplants and make transplant free and within the reach of most Nigerians.’’
The haematologist said that the therapy could also be used to cure other diseases like blood cancers, bone marrow failure, cancers of the bones and combined immune deficiency syndrome in children.
“For sickle cell transplant, it is better we do the transplant when the children are below 15 years old because at that age, there are usually less complications. But for diseases like cancers of the blood, people below 50 years can benefit from stem cell transplant,” he said.
He said that the first patient was paid for by the hospital, adding that “we are expecting that subsequent patients should pay for their transplants.
“The second patient has been able to pay some part of the medical bills, and we are hoping that the remaining part of the bill would be paid and then he can go home,” he said.
UBTH is the only hospital in Nigeria and West Africa performing such transplant
Good one there
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Technology is the ”Order of the day”. Health is Wealth,weldone the Researchers and Physicians of our time,continue the good work b’cos Knowledge is power.
More grease to UBTH, but do our leaders read news at all, do they need encourage to key into these feat. God pls bless us with good leaders
More grease to UBTH, but do our leaders read news at all, do they need encouragement to key into these feat. God pls bless us with good leaders
Thank God and the Doctors for this feat. May God continue to increase your knowledge. What is the cost of the proceedure? Is there a Sickle Cell Foundation in Nigeria? If any, what is the address?
What’s the cost of the transplant? Must it be through operation? A newly wedded couple who are both AS, how can they avert this SS not coming forth into their family?
Please how much is the cost of the stemcell transplant and the Dr’s phone number.
Please may I know how much this transplant will cost and the Doctor;s contact email or phone number? Thanks for the assistance
Please will you kind enough to give me the Doctor;s contact email or phone numbers. Thanks and wish you a merry xmass
Please i wish to request for the Doctor’s contact email or phone numbers. Thanks and wish you a Happy New Year