SIMS Hospitals launches state-of-the-art Stem Cell Transplant Unit
- Signs MoU with College of Healthcare Innovations, UK, to establish student exchange programs and faculty visits
Chennai, Nov. 2,
2019: The Chennai based
SIMS (SRM Institutes for Medical Science) Hospitals, one of the leading super
speciality quaternary care hospitals in Tamil Nadu, announced today (2nd
Nov. 2019), the launch of its standalone dedicated Stem Cell (Bone
Marrow) Transplant Unit, at its Vadapalani facility in Chennai.
On the same occasion SIMS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with “College of Healthcare
Innovations, UK”.
 |
(L-R) Dr. Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra - Director, Institute
of Oncology at SIMS Hospitals; Dr. Raju Sivasamy, Vice President, SIMS
Hospitals; Mr Vaughan Gething AM, the Hon’ble Minister for Health and Social
Services, Wales, UK; Mr. Ravi Pachamoothoo, Chairman, SRM Group; Prof. Keshav
Singhal, Program Director, College of Healthcare Innovations, UK
|
Stem Cell
Transplant Unit: Inaugurated by Mr Vaughan Gething AM,
the Hon’ble Minister for Health and Social Services, Wales, UK, the
Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) unit with a state-of-the-art facility will provide
effective life saving treatment for life threatening malignant and non-malignant
disorders. SCT will help patients afflicted with resistant malignancies like leukemia (blood cancer), lymphomas
(malignancies of the lymph nodes) and multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone
marrow itself) and also non-malignant disorders like Thalassemia and Sickle
cell anemia.
Speaking
at the press conference Dr. Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra - Director, Institute of
Oncology at SIMS, also considered as the pioneer in the field of Medical
Oncology, said, “the new SCT unit will bring in International level health care
to patients in India, with requisite expertise and facilities to carry out all
types of SCT i.e. Autologous, Allogenic and Haplo Identical procedures. There
are isolated sterile units to perform the procedures, especially for patients
suffering from blood cancer and neutropenia. With a team of 4 surgical
oncologists, 2 Radiation physicians and a Medical Oncologist, the Institute of
Oncology at SIMS provides comprehensive and multidisciplinary Cancer care in
Chennai”.
 |
| Mr Vaughan Gething AM, the Hon’ble Minister for Health and Social Services, Wales, UK; Mr. Ravi Pachamoothoo, Chairman, SRM Group inaugurating the SCT Unit |
The MOU: Also, a Memorandum of Understanding was
signed with College of Healthcare Innovations UK, marking the beginning of a
new International relationship between the two institutions. The purpose of the
agreement is to develop educational and academic cooperation, in addition to
promoting mutual understanding between SIMS, Chennai and Healthcare
Innovations, UK. This MoU was
signed between Prof. Keshav Singhal, Program Director, College of
Healthcare Innovations, UK and Dr. Raju Sivasamy, Vice President, SIMS
Hospitals.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ravi
Pachamoothoo, Chairman, SRM Group, said, “The new stem
cell transplant unit is another feather in the cap for the SIMS family. Cancer
is a result of error in the genetic combination of cells and there are more
than 100 different types of Cancers. And not all Cancers form tumours, such as
leukemia. Each cancer is different and so is their treatment. Nevertheless, in
recent years the treatment for cancer has improved by great leaps, which
facilitates effective treatment for many types of cancers. This gives hope to
many patients to return to normal after treatment. When cancer is detected
early, patients stand better chance of recovery. Therefore, people should shed
the hesitation to undergo regular cancer screening and consult a specialist if
there is any symptom”.
Mr Vaughan Gething AM appreciated the efforts put
in by SIMS to improve the survival chances of cancer patients. He also
emphasized on the fact that “Early detection is key to Effective Treatment
of Cancers”. He said “We should work together for enhancing awareness
regarding preventive cancer screening”.
Commenting on the MoU, Mr Gething said, “This MoU will foster an International collaborative partnership and
open up new frontiers for Indian students, as well as the students from Wales,
with enriching academic programs that will mutually benefit them and their
faculties who wish to pursue either short-term or extended programs of higher
learning study in each other’s institutions. Also they will be exposed to a truly global perception
of healthcare as the program will cover a spectrum of both scholarly and cultural
interactions, in addition to cooperative research, with both student and staff
exchange”.
Prof. Keshav Singhal, Program
Director, College of Healthcare Innovations, UK said, “The breadth of this agreement is testament to
the benefit it will bring to both the institutions. We have together agreed to
develop collaborative activities in academic areas of mutual interest, paving
the way for PG students of SIMS to study in UK and vice-versa. I am delighted
that our students and faculties will have the opportunity to train at SIMS
Chennai and we look forward to welcoming their students to our Wales Campus.
This will also strengthen the bond between Tamil Nadu and Wales, thus promoting
friendship and cooperation on mutual understanding across academic, cultural
and personal exchanges”.
The MoU will enable and support the following:
- To identify opportunities for exchange of faculty, research staff and undergraduate students.
- To establish programs that will enable interested and qualified students and university personnel to pursue either short-term or extended programs of study in each other's Institutions and to facilitate visits at Institutes of higher learning.
- To promote exchanges in graduate studies, continuing education, and flexible/distance learning
- To exchange information in the fields those are of interest to both parties
- To cooperate in training projects for specific areas of research and to cooperate in clinical training
- To provide consultation service for curriculum development.
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