MUSCAT: The Ministry of Health Acting in cooperation with Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) on Sunday inaugurated the first-of-a-kind Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP) device in Oman.
The apparatus helps in the treatment of bone marrow transplantation complications, as well as cases of rejection of biopsy and tissues implanted in the body.
To be installed at the SQUH Blood Diseases Department, the ECP constitutes a major step forward in transfusion medicine. It is a therapeutic procedure that purifies the blood from the antibodies resulting from the body’s rejection of implanted tissues.
The ECP will spare patients the inconvenience of travelling abroad or the ministry’s sending patients abroad to receive such treatment, usually for indefinite and prolonged periods.
Besides saving time and cost, the step offers access for integrated healthcare, as the patients often need other forms of intervention after tissue transplant and rehabilitation. — ONA
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