DAVAO CITY– The Southern Philippine Medical Center in Davao City is eyeing to operationalize its Bone Marrow Transplant Center as early as 2028.
“Currently on the works na po, nagsisimula na kami mag setup ng significant persons that would be key ingredients for the setting up of a bone marrow transplant unit,” says SPMC pediatric oncologist Dr. Kristian Masacupan during his guesting at the recent Healthy Davao Media Forum at SM City Davao.
(It is in the works we are starting to set up the significant persons that would be the key ingredients for the setting up of a bone marrow transplant unit).
The bone marrow transplant unit would address the treatment for patients suffering blood disorders or bone marrow diseases such as Leukemia, Lymphoma, Neuroblastoma and Thalassemia.
“So far may mga kaso na leukemia na nagagamot natin mga 80 to 90 percent of success pero meron tayong high-risk leukemia, this is a type of leukemia which are not responsive to chemotherapy that has 50 to 60% of success,” Masacupan said.
(Our leukemia cases that we can treat are those with 80 to 90 percent of success but we have high-risk leukemia.)
“The only way we can improve that 50 to 60% success rate on leukemia is by doing bone marrow transplant,” he added.
Aside from personnel they would be procuring medical equipment for the center.
“Presently our equipment at the SPMC cannot cater to bone marrow transplant. We need to procure equipment that can harvest the bone marrow, that is the most important,” Masacupan said.
He said the personnel will also be trained on bone marrow transplant.
“Much better if they are trained by international experts so that the SPMC bone marrow transplant unit will be at par with international standards,” Masacupan said.
Currently all bone marrow transplant units in the country are located in Metro Manila.
The SPMC bone marrow transplant center will be the first bone marrow transplant unit in Mindanao, the first outside NCR (National Capital Region).
A bone marrow transplant in Manila will cost around P4 million to P5 million, Masacupan said SPMC being a public hospital they will try to decrease the cost of bone marrow transplant noting that it is an expensive medical procedure. (Rudolph Alama)
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