Urdu Version

A two-year old boy became the youngest bone marrow transplant patient at Aga Khan University Hospital. The boy, whose parents are expatriate Pakistanis in Kuwait, was suffering from Thalassemia Major, a disease that previously required the affected patient to have a blood transfusion every month. The family, eventually deciding that AKUH would be an adequate choice for the procedure, came to Karachi especially for this and were delighted that a matching donor was found in the person of his three-year old sister.

Five to 6 per cent of the population are estimated to be carriers of the Thalassemia gene, and around five thousand babies born live in Pakistan carry the gene. The only curative treatment for this disorder is Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT). The BMT unit at Aga Khan University Hospital, inaugurated in 2004, has state-of-the-art equipment, and over 40 bone marrow transplantations have been successfully carried out.

The bone marrow transplantation team has expressed its satisfaction with the young patient’s progress, clarifiying that no significant complication has been seen at any time in the pre to post operative period. The recovery period following this “technically difficult procedure” is considered as sensitive, but the team referred to it in medical terms as ‘uneventful’.

One of the few teaching hospitals in the world to be ISO 9001 certified, AKUH combines high quality clinical service with compassionate, ethical, accessible, high quality and individualistic patient care that meets the needs or expectations of our patients, their families and others whom we serve. The hospital's multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and care ensures a continuum of safe and high quality care for patients.

Urdu Version