New Delhi|Ekta
Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) hospital became the first hospital of Delhi state to have a bone bank. State Health Minister Satyendar Jain inaugurated the first bone bank here.
On the occasion Minister Jain said “bone banks are essential for providing biological material for different orthopaedic procedures, such as replacement of the hip, joints, knee etc. This bank will be innovative and beneficial for people suffering from various orthopedic injuries.
Dr Anil Jain, director professor and head of orthopaedic surgery at GTB hospital said they are hopeful that donations received at their blood bank will be able to meet the requirements of need of patients visiting them .“Countrywide, there are lakhs of people requiring bone graft. To fulfil the demand, we need increased awareness about it and more hospitals to establish similar bone banks,” he added.
These are used for reconstruction of large defects caused by cancer, infection or injury. Every year, lakhs of people lose their limb due to cancer, infection or injury. While autologous bone (bone taken out from the patient’s body) is ideal for grafting, it is often not available sufficiently.
The doctors say while donation of organs such as heart, liver and kidneys in case of brain death have picked up, there are still fewer instances of bone donations. Bones are easier to handle than other donated organs, but traditions and religious beliefs stand in the way of donations. India’s first cadaveric bone bank was opened in 1999. However, it had received only 24 cadaver donations till May 2017. AIIMS also has a bone bank.
