Jammu, June 19: In a significant medical breakthrough, the Department of Orthopaedics at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu has successfully introduced Stem Cell Therapy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, becoming one of the select medical centres in India to offer this advanced regenerative treatment.
The pioneering procedure was performed on a 65-year-old patient, Bishno Devi, a resident of Bainglar, Samba, who had been suffering from chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis and was considering Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgery to alleviate her symptoms.
Stem Cell Therapy is an emerging treatment modality aimed at preventing or slowing the progression of osteoarthritis in patients with mild to moderate disease. The therapy has shown promising results in delaying, and in some cases preventing, the need for knee replacement surgery. It is a minimally invasive day-care procedure, allowing patients to be discharged on the same day.
The procedure was successfully carried out at Bone and Joint Hospital, Jammu, by Dr. Bias Dev, Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, with assistance from Dr. Tahir Afzal and Dr. Tadeel Rashid.
One of the major challenges associated with stem cell therapy is maintaining an uninterrupted cold chain during transportation, as stem cells are preserved in liquid nitrogen chambers at temperatures below minus 90 degrees Celsius to ensure their viability.
The necessary consumables and materials required for the treatment were arranged under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, enabling the patient to undergo the advanced procedure completely free of cost.
Expressing their gratitude, the patient and her family thanked the treating doctors and the administration of GMC Jammu for making the cutting-edge treatment accessible. They particularly appreciated the efforts of Principal GMC Jammu, Dr. Ashutosh Gupta, for facilitating the availability of this advanced medical facility for patients in the region.
The introduction of Stem Cell Therapy marks another milestone in the advancement of healthcare services at GMC Jammu and is expected to benefit numerous patients suffering from osteoarthritis across Jammu and Kashmir.
