UBTH Records 2nd Stem Cell Transplant -

The University of Benin Teaching
Hospital (UBTH) in Edo State,
Nigeria 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.
NAN reports that UBTH is the only
hospital in Nigeria and West
African performing such
transplant .
Bazuaye, who spoke on behalf of
the Chief Medical Director of the
hospital, Prof. Michael Ibadin,
said the operation was successful
and that the patient’s genotype
had change 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 day 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.
http://businessdayonline.com/2013/11/
uniben-teaching-hospital-records-second-
stem-cell-transplant/

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