Narayana Health City Brings Hope to Children from North Karnataka with Life-Saving Stem Cell Transplants
Vijayapura, Oct. 8, 2025: Narayana Health City, Bengaluru, known for its world-class healthcare, has set new benchmarks in paediatric stem cell transplantation, offering a lifeline to children suffering from severe blood and immune disorders across North Karnataka.
Dr. Shobha Badiger, Consultant in Paediatric Oncology, Haemato-Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT), has successfully performed numerous transplants on children from districts including Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Raichur, and Kalaburagi. The young patients treated include children with Thalassemia Major, G6PI deficiency, Aplastic Anaemia, and severe platelet disorders.
Speaking to reporters in Vijayapura on Wednesday, Dr. Badiger said, “My youngest patient to undergo stem cell transplantation was one-and-a-half years old, while the oldest was 13. Donors ranged from eight months to 51 years. All of them are doing well today.” She emphasised that children with aplastic anaemia, immunodeficiency disorders, or severe platelet defects should undergo transplantation soon after diagnosis to achieve the best outcomes.
Stem cell transplantation, which replaces damaged blood-forming cells with healthy ones, has an over 80 per cent success rate when performed early. Allogeneic transplants (using donor stem cells) treat conditions such as Thalassemia Major, aplastic anaemia, severe platelet disorders, G6PI deficiency, primary immunodeficiency, and high-risk or relapsed leukaemia. Autologous transplants also benefit certain childhood cancers, including high-risk neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma.
Dr. Badiger highlighted that timely diagnosis and referral are critical to prevent irreversible organ damage, particularly to the liver, heart, and bone marrow. In Thalassemia Major, transplantation is ideally performed between 18 months and seven years, provided there is no organ damage. The transplantation journey typically lasts eight months to one year, depending on the child’s condition.
Inspiring success stories include a two-year-old boy with Thalassemia Major who received stem cells from his infant sister and is now thriving, and a young girl with Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia who had a matched donor transplant 13 years ago and is now studying for her PUC II exams with aspirations of becoming a doctor.
To ensure timely care, Dr. Badiger regularly conducts outpatient clinics in Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Raichur, and Kalaburagi, helping families access early treatment and facilitating prompt transplantation at Narayana Health City.
