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Stem-cell Therapy
With recent developments in the medical field, stem cell therapy has successfully surfaced as a viable treatment procedure for various diseases. In fact, as per a report, the global stem cell therapy market is expected to reach around $11 billion by 2029.
Nevertheless, even with impressive advancements in the field of stem-cell research, this treatment procedure remains ambiguous among the general population. Few are aware of its benefits, and most do not consider it owing to the financial burden that they have to bear in the process.
However, to remedy the prevalent burden of hefty medical bills in India, financial institutions have introduced health EMI cards which can make bearing treatment expenses affordable. So, individuals looking to opt for stem-cell therapy can easily check their health card status and convert the ensuing medical bills into easy EMIs.
Availability of an easy option to finance the treatment certainly makes stem-cell therapy much more accessible to all.
What does stem-cell therapy entail?
Stem cells are those cells in a human body that possess the capacity of self-renewal as well as the ability to develop into specialised adult cells. They can, thus, effectively regenerate tissues in the human body and possess enormous potential in repairing tissue damage.
Stem cell therapy, also known as a regenerative treatment, is the process through which stem cells are utilised to repair damaged tissues and treat other diseases. Such cells are mostly found in the bone marrow, umbilical cord, blood and adipose tissue.
There are two types of stem cell treatments –
- Allogenic stem cell therapy where a patient receives cells from a donor for treatment.
- Autologous stem cell therapy, wherein the patient’s own cells are utilised for treating diseases.
The cost of stem cell treatment in India starts from around $5,000 or Rs.38 lakh approximately, which is quite a hefty sum for most mid-income households. Nonetheless, individuals can easily apply for EMI health cards, check the health card status and consider it as an option to finance stem cell treatment.
Important facts to know about stem cell therapy
Before choosing this particular treatment procedure as a viable option to cure diseases, individuals should be aware of a few facts. These are –
- Types of diseases treated
Only a handful of diseases can be safely treated through this procedure. For instance, there are a few dermal, osseous, and corneal diseases, which can be treated through stem cell grafting. Apart from these, certain immune system disorders can be treated using stem cell transplantation.
- Adverse effects
Administering stem cell treatment without proper R&D results can bear adverse impacts on one’s body and lead to the aggravation of the existing condition. Furthermore, receiving experimental stem cell treatment can also render one ineligible for future trials.
- Associated risks
Even though autologous treatments are considered as safe as the patient’s immune system does not attack his/her cells, risks associated with the treatment still exist. The risks depend largely on the process through which the cells were acquired, nurtured to maturity, and reintroduced into the patient’s body.
- Pain-free treatment process
This treatment is devoid of painful procedures and is comparatively more time-efficient than surgeries. Mostly, the stem cells obtained are introduced to a patient’s body through intra-arterial, intravenous, intradermal, and intramuscular injections as per the therapy mandates.
- Duration of treatment
Duration of the therapy depends on several factors. These include age and health of the patient, severity of the disease, etc. Thus, the entire treatment process can last from somewhere between a few months up to a few years.
The cost of this treatment depends primarily on time taken to administer it. Thus, those looking to avail stem cell therapy can easily expect substantial expenses over time.
To make the payment of such medical expenses easier, individuals can apply for an EMI health card online and utilise it to convert their bills into smaller, easily payable amounts.
What is a health EMI card?
Financial tools like the Bajaj Finserv Health EMI Network Card propagate the conversion of medical bills into no-cost EMIs, payable over a tenor of the user’s choosing. Few of the benefits ingrained in these health cards online include –
- They cover the costs of a variety of treatments, including stem-cell therapy, which is otherwise mostly excluded from health insurance policy coverage.
- These cards can be utilised at several hospitals, diagnostic centres, pharmacies, stem cell institutes, dental clinics, etc. anywhere in India, to make the bills generated easily payable.
- Such cards offer a financing limit of up to Rs.4 lakh, which makes bearing the expenses of high-cost treatment easier.
- The application process, activation and health card status check are pretty straightforward. To apply for the health card, existing customers of a financial institution simply need to make an online application and do away with any documentation requirements.
- Benefits of the health EMI card are extended to the cardholder’s entire family.
Furthermore, it also offers a flexible repayment tenor of up to 24 months to users. Thus, with such benefits and more, the health EMI card makes for the most convenient option when it comes to boosting the affordability of cost-intensive procedures like stem cell therapy. Utilize it with periodic health card status check for efficient utilization in meeting necessary healthcare expenses.
