BALCO Medical Centre Performs Chhattisgarh’s First Half-Matched Stem Cell Transplant for Sickle Cell Anaemia
11th November 2025
- Breakthrough procedure offers new hope for patients who are without fully matched donors
New Delhi, 11th November 2025: BALCO Medical Centre (BMC), a state-of-the-art oncology and multi-specialty hospital in Naya Raipur, has successfully performed Chhattisgarh’s first haplo-identical (half-matched) stem cell transplant for sickle cell anaemia, a major medical milestone that opens curative possibilities for patients previously without donor matches.
Sickle cell anaemia is one of the most prevalent inherited blood disorders in Chhattisgarh, particularly affecting children and young adults in tribal and rural areas. Until now, bone marrow transplants (BMT), the only curative treatment, were limited to patients with fully matched sibling donors, leaving nearly 80% of patients without access to a cure. The haplo-identical (half-matched) transplant technique allows parents to donate stem cells even if they are not a perfect match, significantly broadening the donor pool and making curative treatment possible for many more patients.
The patient, a 16-year-old girl from Chhattisgarh, had endured years of severe pain, anaemia, and repeated hospitalisations. She received healthy stem cells from her father, a half-match on genetic testing. Post-transplant, she has made a full recovery and is now symptom-free. Her latest reports show 98.6% donor chimerism, indicating that nearly all her red blood cells are now healthy donor cells, effectively curing her of sickle cell disease.
Dr. Bhawna Sirohi, Medical Director, BALCO Medical Centre, said, “Sickle cell anaemia is a major public health issue in Chhattisgarh and neighboring states. Early diagnosis, timely referral, and expert care are critical to the success of stem cell transplants. This achievement shows that patients no longer need to travel to metro cities for advanced care. Our goal is to make curative treatment accessible and affordable for every patient, regardless of where they come from.”
Dr. Dibyendu De, Consultant – Haemato-Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant, BALCO Medical Centre, who led the procedure, said, “This is a landmark achievement for Chhattisgarh. Haplo-identical transplantation is technically complex and requires advanced infrastructure and expertise. With this success, we have demonstrated that such cutting-edge treatment can now be safely performed in the region, offering real hope to hundreds of patients who previously had no curative option.”
With this breakthrough, every patient in our region can now look forward to a real chance at a cure, even without a fully matched sibling donor. BALCO Medical Centre is now one of the few centres in India offering this complex therapy, marking a major step forward in curative care for sickle cell anaemia in Chhattisgarh.
About BALCO Medical Centre (BMC):
BALCO Medical Centre (BMC), a 170-bed state-of-the-art tertiary care Oncology facility in Naya Raipur, is the first flagship initiative of Vedanta Medical Research Foundation (VMRF). VMRF, a non-profit organization, is an initiative of Vedanta Resources and Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd. (BALCO) to contribute towards the prevention of cancer and its related illnesses.
BMC is one of the most trusted hospitals in Central India, accredited by NABH and NABL with over 3.8 lakh OPD visits and 60,000+ patients treated so far. Currently, it is fast emerging as a national leader in India’s oncology space including medical, surgical, radiation, haematological, BMT and palliative care. Though the hospital is in Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh, it is a rapidly becoming a centre of choice for cancer treatment for people from Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
For more information, visit www.balcomedicalcentre.com
For further information, please contact:
Mr Vipendra Singh Rajput
Public Relations Officer
BALCO Medical Centre
+91 7000675928
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2022. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com
About Vedanta Aluminium Business:
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
For more information, please log on to www.vedantaaluminium.com
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