Bone Marrow Transplant Included Under Swasthya Sathi Health Scheme

• 02 Aug 2025

Why in News?

The West Bengal government has included bone marrow transplant (BMT) under its universal health coverage scheme 'Swasthya Sathi', raising hopes for wider accessibility to this life-saving procedure, particularly for patients with blood disorders like thalassaemia.

Key Points

• Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) is a medical procedure used to replace damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells.
  • The healthy stem cells may come from the patient (autologous) or a donor (allogeneic). 
  • BMT helps restore the body’s ability to produce healthy blood cells and improve immunity.

Swasthya Sathi Health Scheme

• Swasthya Sathi is a flagship health insurance scheme launched by the West Bengal government on 30th December 2016, providing cashless, paperless health coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care. 
• It covers all family members, including parents of both spouses and dependent physically challenged individuals, with no cap on family size. The entire premium is borne by the state, with no cost to beneficiaries. 
• The scheme uses smart cards, real-time e-health records, and an IT-enabled platform for enrollment, hospital empanelment, pre-authorisation, and claim settlement.

Thalassemia 

• It is a genetic blood disorder in which the body produces abnormal or insufficient hemoglobin, leading to the destruction of red blood cells and causing anemia. It is inherited from parents and can be mild or severe. 
• Severe cases may require regular blood transfusions and bone marrow transplant is considered a potential curative treatment, especially if done at an early age.