All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Raipur has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bal Ayush Foundation (BAF) to establish a state-of-the-art Paediatric Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Centre. Bone marrow transplantation is the only curative treatment for severe pediatric blood disorders like Thalassemia and Sickle Cell disease. Currently, patients in Chhattisgarh are forced to travel to cities like Mumbai or Delhi, as this costly service has been unavailable in the State’s Government sector.

 

The MoU was signed by Lt Gen Ashok Jindal (Retd) Executive Director, AIIMS Raipur, Lalit Parmar (Founder & Director, BAF), Professor Dr D K Tripathy (Medical Superintendent), and Deepak Chopra (Founder President, Thalassemics India). Lt Gen Jindal termed the pact ‘historic,’ aligning with India’s vision to eliminate Sickle Cell disease by 2047. Under the 5-year extendable pact, AIIMS Raipur will provide the physical space and medical oversight, while BAF will fund and establish the fully functional unit by leveraging CSR funds, NGO support, and government grants. The center will operate under AIIMS Raipur’s medical license and will be overseen by Pediatric Hemat-Oncologist Dr Sunil Jondhale. The signing was attended by Professor Dr Anil Kumar Goel (Head of Pediatrics) Hospital Administration Official and all Institutional deans.