TOTAL OF 3,967 STEM CELL, BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTS CONDUCTED IN FOUR MOH HOSPITALS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- A total of 3,967 stem cell/bone marrow transplant (SCT/BMT) procedures have been carried out in four Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals over a period of 25 years, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

Dzulkefly said the Ampang Hospital has carried out 3,259 SCT/BMT cases, with a ratio of nearly 200 cases per year.

“The Penang Hospital has conducted 384 cases whereas the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) in Johor Bahru, Johor (260 cases) and Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (64 cases),” he said in a press conference after officiating the MOH SCT/BMT Services Silver Jubilee Celebration at Ampang Hospital here today.

Meanwhile, he said the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching is expected to begin these services in March, next year and will be the fifth hospital offering the SCT/BMT procedures, followed by the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan, Pahang, which will set up an SCT/BMT centre.

"These services at the Sarawak General Hospital will commence no later than the first quarter of 2025 or in March. We have four or five specialists there along with nurses who have 'whole basic training' expertise in hematology," he said.

Dzulkefly said his team estimated the market price for the treatment, which now has reached RM120,000 to RM300,000, but the MOH has set the treatment cost to remain low at RM20,000 to RM80,000.

 "For regular patients, a fee of RM500 is charged, while for the elderly, it is only RM250 depending on the patient's case complexity,” he said, adding that it is the commitment to 'sustainable' and 'equitable care', so that everyone can have access to the SCT/BMT procedure."

Meanwhile, he said the MOH will also increase the number of trained hematologists throughout Malaysia to 50 by next year.

"There are about 10 people who can do this cell transplant procedure. In Ampang Hospital alone, we have four specialists and others are in Penang Hospital and Sultanah Aminah Hospital," he also said.

--BERNAMA