Hematologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Choosing a transplant centre in India | CION Cancer Clinics
Choose the centre that regularly does your type of transplant for your blood cancer, shares its own results honestly, and can look after you through the months after discharge. A famous name, the lowest quote or the shortest drive matter less. This guide shows what to compare, what to ask at the meeting, and the signs that should make you look elsewhere. At CION Cancer Clinics, our haematology team assesses whether a transplant or CAR-T fits your situation and coordinates care with qualified centres.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Basudev PokhrelConsultant Haematologist · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
17+specialists on panel
15,000+patients treated
35+centres across Telangana & AP
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On this page
- How do you choose a transplant centre in India?
- Which things actually matter when comparing centres?
- How do you compare centres in practice?
- What should you ask, and what does a good answer sound like?
- How do distance, cost and family fit into the choice?
- What do families often assume that is not true?
- What should make you look elsewhere?
- Common questions about choosing a transplant centre
The short answer
How do you choose a transplant centre in India?
Choose the centre that regularly does your type of transplant for your type of blood cancer, can show you its own results honestly, and can look after you through the months after discharge. A famous name, a low quote or a short drive matter less than those three.
Why the choice matters
A transplant is not one procedure on one day. It is weeks in a protected ward, then months of close follow-up for infections and graft-versus-host disease, where donor cells attack your body. The centre's experience shows most in how quickly it spots and handles those problems. That is harder to see from outside than a new building.
Your type of transplant changes the list
An autologous transplant uses your own stem cells. It is common for myeloma and some lymphomas, and many centres offer it. An allogeneic transplant uses a donor's cells. It is more complex, and fewer centres do it often, especially with a half-matched family donor or an unrelated donor from a registry. Ask your haematologist which one you need before you start comparing.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot rank centres, and it does not name any. Results depend on the mix of patients each centre treats, so raw numbers can mislead. Use this page to ask better questions, not to pick from a list.
What to look for
Which things actually matter when comparing centres?
Weigh these six before cost and distance. A centre strong on most of them is usually a safer choice than one strong on a single point.
Experience with your disease
Ask how many transplants of your type they do each year, and how many for your blood cancer. Regular practice builds the team's judgement.
A full team, day and night
Transplant haematologists, trained nurses, an intensive care unit, a blood bank, infection specialists and a pharmacist, all available at night and on weekends.
A protected ward
Single rooms with filtered air and strict hand-washing rules lower infection risk while your counts are at their lowest.
Donor options
Whether the centre can use a half-matched family donor or search unrelated donor registries if no brother or sister matches.
Honest outcome data
A centre that shares its own results, explains them and tells you how your risk compares is being straight with you.
A plan after discharge
Who you call at night, how often you are seen, and whether your local haematologist can share the follow-up.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
How do you compare centres in practice?
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Ask your haematologist for a shortlist
Your treating doctor knows which centres handle your disease and transplant type, and which ones they have referred to before. Ask why each one is on the list.
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Send the same reports to each
Share the diagnosis report, bone marrow and genetic results, treatment history and HLA typing if done. Identical reports make the answers comparable.
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Meet the transplant physician
In person or by video. Ask the questions in the next section, and note who answers clearly and who avoids them.
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Get a written estimate
Ask what the package includes and what it leaves out: donor workup, medicines, blood products, intensive care and readmission. Ask which schemes and insurers the centre accepts.
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Work out where you will stay
Most centres want you to live nearby for a period after discharge. Plan the housing and who stays with you before you decide.
At the meeting
What should you ask, and what does a good answer sound like?
Ask
A reassuring answer
How many transplants like mine did you do last year?
A clear number, separated by transplant and disease type
What are your results for patients like me?
Their own data, explained, with its limits stated
Who looks after me at night if I get a fever?
A named transplant team on call, not a general duty doctor alone
What is not included in the estimate?
A written list of extras, without being asked twice
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
The practical side
How do distance, cost and family fit into the choice?
They matter a great deal, and they should be weighed openly. A transplant that the family cannot sustain for months is a risk of its own.
Distance from home
If you live in a Telangana or Andhra Pradesh district, a centre in Hyderabad can make the months of follow-up far easier. A centre in another city may still be the right choice for a rare disease or a complex donor situation. If so, plan for a carer to stay there with you.
Cost and cover
Package prices differ widely, and so does what they include. Check whether the centre is empanelled for Aarogyasri, PM-JAY, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or your cashless insurer. Scheme rules change, so confirm the current ones. Compare full written estimates, not headline figures.
The carer
Every centre expects a family member to stay close through the transplant and early recovery. Decide early who that will be, and whether they can take leave.
Who a distant centre does not suit
A family with no one free to stay away from home for months, or a patient who is already frail from travel, may do better at a nearer centre with sound experience in the same transplant type. Say this openly to your haematologist. It is a fair factor in the choice, not a failure of commitment.
Commonly believed
What do families often assume that is not true?
"The biggest hospital must have the most experienced transplant unit."
Hospital size and transplant experience are different things. Ask about the transplant unit itself, and about your type of transplant.
"The centre with the lowest quote will cost us least."
A low package may leave out medicines, blood products, intensive care or readmission. The final bill can end up higher. Compare what is included.
"A centre abroad or in a metro is always safer."
Not necessarily. Experienced centres exist in several Indian cities. Being far from home for months brings its own strain and risks.
"If a centre quotes high success rates, it must be good."
A figure without the patient mix behind it tells you little. Ask what the number measures, over what period and for which patients.
Be cautious if
What should make you look elsewhere?
- No one will share the centre's own results
- You are pressed to pay a deposit before a consultation
- The estimate is verbal only, or changes each time you ask
- There is no clear plan for follow-up after discharge
- Your questions about risk are brushed aside
- Outcome promises sound certain rather than honest
Questions we are asked
Common questions about choosing a transplant centre
Does CION perform bone marrow transplants?
No. CION's haematology team, led by Dr. Basudev Pokhrel, reviews your case, presents it at a tumour board and helps you reach a qualified transplant centre. The team also tells you what to ask there and can continue your care before and after the transplant where that is appropriate.
Is accreditation important when choosing a centre?
It helps. Hospital accreditation such as NABH shows that basic quality and safety systems are in place. Some units also hold international transplant accreditation. Accreditation alone does not tell you how experienced the unit is with your disease, so ask about that too.
Should we go to the centre where our doctor trained?
It can be a good reason, because your doctor knows the team and can speak to them directly. It should not be the only reason. Ask whether that centre regularly does your type of transplant, and compare it with at least one other.
How far in advance should we choose a centre?
As soon as a transplant is being discussed. Donor searches, tests and scheme approvals take time, and the transplant works better when the disease is well controlled. Starting early keeps the timing in your favour rather than the paperwork's.
Can we ask more than one centre for an opinion?
Yes, and many families do. Send the same full set of reports to each. Different centres may suggest different donors or conditioning plans. If the advice differs, ask your haematologist to help you understand why before deciding.
What if the most suitable centre is outside Telangana?
It can still be the right choice, particularly for a rare disease or a complex donor situation. Plan for housing and a carer near the centre. Ask whether your local haematologist can share follow-up once you are stable, so you can come home sooner.
Do all centres accept Aarogyasri or PM-JAY for transplants?
No. Empanelment differs between hospitals and between transplant types. Ask each centre in writing which schemes and insurers it accepts for your transplant, and check with the scheme helpdesk. Scheme rules change, so confirm the current ones.
Can we switch centres after starting the workup?
Yes, though it may repeat some tests and take time. Collect copies of every report before you move. Tell both teams, so nothing important is lost in the handover and your disease stays controlled meanwhile.
Your Haematologist
Meet CION's haematologist. One specialist for your blood report and your plan.
Dr. Basudev Pokhrel reviews blood counts, transfusion needs and blood disorders, and works with the CION tumour board on blood cancers.
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
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Patient stories
Hear it from people we have treated
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Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
Paying for it
Insurance, schemes and payment
What you actually pay usually differs a great deal from the sticker figure.
AarogyasriEmpanelled. Bring the card and a referral where you have one.
CGHS / ECHS / EHSAccepted at CION centres for eligible treatment.
Cashless insuranceMost major insurers are empanelled. Pre-authorisation is handled by our desk.
Self-payItemised estimate given before treatment starts. No EMI scheme exists.
Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. A haematology consultation can be booked at any of these centres through one helpline, and your team will tell you where each test or treatment takes place.
Warangal
Vizag
Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Stem Cell Transplants in Cancer Treatment
- NHS — Stem cell and bone marrow transplants
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society — Stem Cell Transplantation
- American Cancer Society — Stem Cell Transplant for Cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Transplant Volume and Outcomes: What to Ask a CentreHow to read the numbers a centre gives youQuestions to Ask Before Agreeing to a TransplantThe full list to take to the meetingTransplant-Related Mortality: The Number You Should Ask ForThe single risk figure worth asking aboutDeciding on a TransplantThe full guide to the transplant decision
Talk to us
Not sure where to go for a transplant?
Share your reports with CION's haematology team. They will review your case and help you reach a qualified transplant centre, with the questions to ask there.