Srinagar / Hyderabad : Historic procedure was performed at Kashmir's premier health institution SKIMS where J&K’s first unrelated stem cell transplant was done, and a Polish donor helped to save a Kashmiri Child’s life.
Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) In a major breakthrough for advanced healthcare in Jammu and Kashmir, it has successfully carried out its first-ever Matched Unrelated Donor (MUD) Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation on a three-year-old child suffering from Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and potentially fatal disorder caused by severe immune system dysfunction.
The landmark transplant was made possible through stem cells donated by a fully matched volunteer donor from Poland.
As part of a significant humanitarian initiative, DKMS (an international bone marrow donor center) waived donor-related costs, thereby reducing the financial burden on the patient's family and facilitating access to life-saving treatment.
Addressing a press conference, SKIMS Director Prof M Ashraf Ganie said that this was a milestone in transplant medicine and a big step forward for specialized healthcare services in Jammu and Kashmir.
He congratulated the transplant team on the successful outcome and appealed to the public to actively participate in stem cell donor registration programs.
"Many patients suffering from serious blood and immune disorders can only be cured through stem cell transplantation," Prof Ganie said, adding that expanding donor registries can greatly improve the chances of finding compatible donors for those in need.
He announced that SKIMS would actively promote donor registration and make information related to donor registries available through its official platforms to encourage wider community participation.
The highly specialized procedure was performed by the Department of Clinical Hematology.
Experts from the department, including Head of Department Prof Sajad Geelani, Associate Professors Dr. Reshma Roshan and Dr. Afaq Ahmad Khan, said the transplant program at SKIMS is being conducted according to national and international standards and has achieved outcomes comparable to leading transplant centers.
They explained that Matched Unrelated Donor transplantation is among the most complex procedures in modern medicine, involving extensive donor-recipient matching, international coordination, advanced laboratory support, and intensive clinical monitoring.
The successful completion of the procedure required seamless coordination from donor identification to stem cell collection and transportation across international borders.
The specialists noted that for many patients suffering from severe hematological and immunological disorders, a suitable family donor is often unavailable.
In such cases, a matched unrelated donor transplant may be the only curative treatment option. They stressed that the success of this case highlights the need to strengthen transplant programs, expand awareness about stem cell donation, and enhance collaboration with national and international donor registries.
The Department of Clinical Hematology expressed gratitude to the SKIMS administration and DKMS for their support in making the treatment possible.
Special appreciation was also extended to faculty members, resident doctors, transplant coordinators, nursing staff, blood bank teams, laboratory scientists, technicians, pharmacists, infection control personnel, intensive care staff, and other supporting departments whose collective efforts contributed to the success of the complex procedure.
The child's father, Mohammad Ashraf Shaikh, shared an emotional account of the family's journey. Having lost his first daughter to HLH ( Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis ) disease two years ago, he said the family had consulted several medical centers outside the region before finding hope at SKIMS.
He thanked the doctors and hospital administration for assuring him that the disease was treatable and for successfully carrying out the transplant that has given his second child a new chance at life.
