CUTTACK: The state's first Bone Bank is set to be operational at SCB Medical College and Hospital within a month. The orthopaedic department of the hospital has completed all infrastructural requirements for the purpose. The bone bank will be set up to provide relief to patients suffering from cancer, serious trauma with acute bone damage and failed replacement surgeries.
Head of the Orthopaedic Department Prof Nirmal Mohapatra said the department is ready with all infrastructural requirements and the bone bank is expected to be made operational within a month. “We are waiting for the equipment. Efforts are on to procure all equipment like deep freezer, lyophilisation apparatus and other apparatus for sterilising and disinfecting harvested bones within a week,” he added.
While two rooms have already been kept ready, a data entry operator has also been posted for the bone bank. Earlier, a team from DMET had visited the hospital and inspected the infrastructural facility. It had pointed out some shortcomings which have been complied with, Mohapatra said.
Usually, bones damaged due to road accidents or otherwise during surgical operations and amputations are being wasted. After coming up with the ambitious project, the discarded bones will be collected, preserved for the future and used in emergency situations. Needy patients will benefit from the bank as the preserved bones can be transplanted into their bodies. Notably, the bone bank facility is available at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital in Mumbai AIIMS, New Delhi and some private hospitals in Chennai.