K J Somaiya Hospital & Research Centre inaugurates Advanced Centre for Oncology, Haematology & Rare Diseases

Mumbai: K J Somaiya Hospital and Research Centre inaugurated a new Advanced Centre for Oncology, Haematology & Rare Diseases (ACOHRD) on 1st February 2023.

It is a first of its kind facility with state-of-the-art infrastructure. The main focus of the Center is diagnosis, treatment and clinical research in both benign and malignant hematological disorders. It also has a well-established Clinical Trial Unit participating in multiple National and International Clinical trials. The centre is built up to international standards and will serve as the nucleus for Oncology/Haematology patients, by providing them with dedicated care and intensive treatment options.

The inauguration was graced by Samir Somaiya, Chairman, K J Somaiya Medical Trust, Amrita Somaiya, Trustee, K J Somaiya Medical Trust, Dr Savita Rangarajan, Consultant Haematologist, and Dr Varsha Phadke, Dean, K J Somaiya Medical College and Research Centre along with patients from the city of Mumbai.

During the inauguration, a mobile application, called ‘Prerana Hemocare’ was launched for patients with haemophilia. The app will help patients to feed the bleed data, treatment details, dosage and other health related issues. Besides providing real-time data of bleeding and other treatment related details, the app will allow access for the treating doctors to patient records at any point of time.

Talking about his dream of opening a dedicated centre for Clinical Research, Shri Samir Somaiya, K.J Somaiya Medical Trust, says, “It is genuinely a moment of pride for me as I am seeing this centre being inaugurated. Since the last four years or so, I have been dreaming of building a dedicated centre like ACOHRD which caters specifically to patients with rare genetic disorders. I am extremely optimistic about the future. I am of the belief that this centre will truly create an impact and help individuals who are facing the hardships of these rare diseases. All this happened because of the consistent hard work the team has been doing for the past few years, and I cannot thank everyone enough.”

Giving an introduction for ACOHRD, Dr Savita Rangarajan, Consultant Haematologist, says, “We are very excited to see the ACOHRD being finally inaugurated. This was only possible through years of persistent hard work, and I thank everyone who helped make this dream into a reality. It was indeed my dream to create a comprehensive centre for haematology and rare diseases, and that is where ACOHRD was born. There are very few comprehensive centres in India, let alone Mumbai and I believe that the work we would be doing will prove to be significant for the healthcare industry, and I have no doubt the centre will become a beacon of excellence for the research and treatment on Oncology, Haematology and other rare diseases.

Dr. Varsha Phadke, Dean, KJ Somaiya Medical College & Research Centre, says, “I would like to thank Late Ms. Nandini Munshaw, our donor whose timely funds helped us in achieving this dream. I am confident this new centre will prove to be extremely helpful for patients going through rare diseases. It is a state-of-the-art facility and is up to international standards and is set to be an important hub for anything related to oncology, haematology and rare diseases.”

A haemophilic patient, Amit Patil, gave his testimony on his experience at the new centre, and said, “Even during the times of COVID, the team at Somaiya Hospital functioned excellently and gave me the best possible treatment. When I had enrolled in the clinical trials, I had a tumour on my leg which was very severe in nature. I had to undergo an operation for the same. The operation was 100% successful, thanks to the outstanding doctors. I cannot thank the Hospital’s team enough for all the help they have provided me during these tough times.”