Bone Marrow Transplant in India: A Guide for Patients from Uganda and Gambia
A blood cancer diagnosis — leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma — often leads to a recommendation that neither Uganda nor Gambia can fulfil: bone marrow transplant. The procedure does not exist in either country at any meaningful scale. For patients in Kampala or Banjul who need it, India is the most practical destination.
India's top bone marrow transplant programmes at Max Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi and Indraprastha Apollo Hospital perform hundreds of transplants annually. The costs are a fraction of what Europe charges. And for patients in Kampala and Banjul, the journey — manageable as it is — leads to care that simply cannot be accessed at home.
What Bone Marrow Transplant Treats
Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) — the most common indication. BMT in first or second remission for high and intermediate-risk patients. Allogeneic transplant preferred for most AML cases.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) — allogeneic BMT for high-risk patients or those in second remission after relapse. Particularly important in adults with Philadelphia-positive ALL.
Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) — for patients who fail or cannot tolerate tyrosine kinase inhibitors (imatinib, dasatinib). Allogeneic BMT remains an option.
Hodgkin's Lymphoma — autologous BMT (using the patient's own stem cells) after relapse from standard chemotherapy. High complete remission rates with salvage chemotherapy followed by autologous BMT.
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma — autologous or allogeneic depending on subtype and response to initial treatment.
Multiple Myeloma — autologous BMT is part of standard treatment for eligible patients under 70. India's top centres perform this routinely.
Aplastic Anaemia — severe aplastic anaemia in younger patients is treated with allogeneic BMT when a matched sibling donor is available. For older patients or those without a matched donor, immunosuppressive therapy is the alternative.
Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Disease — curative allogeneic BMT for younger patients with a compatible donor. Relevant for Gambian patients specifically, given the burden of haemoglobinopathies in West Africa.
Autologous vs Allogeneic — Which Applies
Autologous BMT: The patient's own stem cells are collected, stored, and reinfused after high-dose chemotherapy destroys the diseased marrow. No donor needed. Used primarily for myeloma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and some non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Lower risk of serious immune complications.
Allogeneic BMT: Stem cells come from a matched donor — ideally a sibling with a full HLA match. For Kampala and Banjul patients, a sibling donor is the standard route. HLA typing — a blood test — determines compatibility. This can be done in Kampala or Banjul and results sent to India's transplant team before travel.
If no sibling match is found, India's BMT centres offer haploidentical transplant (using a half-matched family member — parent or adult child) and can conduct unrelated donor searches through international registries. These options exist but add cost and complexity.
Bone Marrow Transplant Costs in India
- Autologous BMT: 18,000 – 28,000
- Allogeneic BMT (sibling donor): 25,000 – 38,000
- Haploidentical BMT: 28,000 – 42,000
- Unrelated donor (MUD) BMT: 30,000 – 48,000
Compare to UK: allogeneic BMT USD 60,000 to USD 120,000
For families in Kampala and Banjul who are self-funding, India is the only destination where BMT is financially accessible.
Specialists and Hospitals in Prime Medical's Network
Dr. Rohit Nayyar at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, New Delhi (JCI, NABH, NABL) handles cancer care including haematology and bone marrow transplant. Max Hospital Saket has one of Delhi's strongest BMT programmes, with both autologous and allogeneic transplant capability and a dedicated BMT unit with isolation rooms required for the engraftment period.
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi (JCI, NABH) — full BMT programme. Africa desk experienced with coordinating Ugandan and Gambian patient cases.
Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram (JCI, NABH, NABL) — haematology and BMT alongside the broader oncology programme.
The BMT Process — What Kampala and Banjul Patients Need to Know
Bone marrow transplant is not a single-day procedure. The full process in India involves:
Conditioning phase (one to two weeks): High-dose chemotherapy (and sometimes radiation) to destroy the patient's existing bone marrow. The patient is in hospital throughout.
Infusion day: The harvested stem cells — either from the patient (autologous) or from the donor (allogeneic) — are infused through an IV line. The procedure itself takes a few hours.
Engraftment phase (two to four weeks): The new stem cells travel to the bone marrow and begin producing blood cells. The patient is in isolation in a dedicated BMT room — high-infection-risk period. Regular blood counts confirm engraftment is progressing.
Post-engraftment monitoring (two to four weeks): After discharge from the BMT unit, the patient remains in India as an outpatient for monitoring — blood counts, infection surveillance, checking for graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic cases.
Total time in India: Six to ten weeks for most BMT cases. Families should plan for this duration from the start.
Getting from Kampala and Banjul to BMT in India
From Kampala: Ethiopian Airlines Entebbe–Addis Ababa–Delhi — ten to twelve hours. Both patient and donor (for allogeneic cases) travel together.
From Banjul: Banjul via Casablanca, Addis Ababa, or Dubai to Delhi — twelve to sixteen hours.
Share haematology reports — diagnosis, staging, treatment history, bone marrow biopsy, and HLA typing if already done — with Prime Medical Solutions. Within 48 hours, Dr. Rohit Nayyar or the relevant haematologist reviews and provides a written opinion.
Indian e-medical visa: three to five working days for Ugandan and Gambian nationals. Prime Medical provides appointment letters.
To book a consultation, call the number on our website.
What Kampala and Banjul Patients Ask
1. My sibling is in Gambia — how do we know if they are a match for me?
HLA typing for both patient and potential donor. The blood test can be done at a laboratory in Banjul or Kampala and results shared with India's transplant team before travel is confirmed. A full 10/10 match is ideal. Haploidentical transplant (6–8/10 match) is also feasible at India's centres if a full match is not found.
2. Can a child with leukaemia receive BMT in India from Kampala?
Yes. Paediatric BMT is performed at Apollo and Fortis. Children with ALL, AML, aplastic anaemia, and thalassaemia have been treated at these centres. Accompanying parents can stay with the child throughout the hospital stay.
3. After the transplant — what monitoring is needed when we return to Kampala or Banjul?
Post-BMT monitoring requires regular blood counts, tacrolimus or cyclosporine levels (for allogeneic transplants), and infection surveillance. Monthly in the first six months, then less frequently. This can be done at a laboratory in Kampala or Banjul with results shared to India's transplant team remotely. Prime Medical assists in setting up this monitoring arrangement before discharge.
