Register as stem cell donors, help save lives: Director SKIMS appeals public
Srinagar, Jun 23: SKIMS Soura has achieved a milestone in advanced hematology and transplant medicine with the successful completion of its first Matched Unrelated Donor (MUD) Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in a three-year-old child diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a life-threatening disorder caused by severe immune system dysregulation.
Addressing a press conference at SKIMS, Director SKIMS/EOSG Prof. M. Ashraf Ganie, along with specialists from the Department of Clinical Hematology, described the achievement as a major advancement in the delivery of cutting-edge healthcare services within Jammu & Kashmir and congratulated the transplant team for the successful outcome.
The transplant was made possible through stem cells obtained from a fully matched unrelated volunteer donor from Poland, identified through DKMS, one of the world's largest stem cell donor registries.
In a humanitarian gesture, DKMS waived the donor procurement charges, substantially reducing the financial burden on the patient's family and enabling access to the potentially curative treatment.
Prof. Ganie emphasized the urgent need for greater public participation in stem cell donation and appealed to people to come forward and register as potential stem cell donors.
“Many patients suffering from life-threatening blood and immune disorders can only be cured through stem cell transplantation. Public awareness and participation in donor registries can significantly improve the chances of finding suitable donors for such patients,” he said.
The Director also announced that SKIMS will actively promote stem cell donor registration and facilitate access to donor registry information through its official platforms.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Sajad Geelani, Head, Department of Clinical Hematology; Dr. Reshma Roshan, Associate Professor; and Dr. Afaq Ahmad Khan, Associate Professor, highlighted the department's growing expertise in stem cell transplantation.
They said the transplant programme at SKIMS is being conducted in accordance with international and national standards of care and has demonstrated outcomes comparable to leading transplant centres.
They stated that the procedure involved meticulous donor-recipient matching, international coordination, specialized laboratory support and intensive clinical monitoring, making it one of the most complex interventions in modern medicine.