James from Ireland was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis about 20 years before he came to HSCT Hospital India. Ireland does not offer HSCT as a routine treatment, so James researched the countries that did and chose a hospital abroad. He was 48 when he was treated in New Delhi, with a friend as his attendant.
In MS, the immune system damages myelin, the protective coating around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. HSCT, short for autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, uses chemotherapy to clear the immune cells causing that damage. The patient’s own stem cells, collected and frozen first, are then given back and go on to produce new blood and immune cells.
| James from Ireland: HSCT for MS at a Glance |
| Patient | James lives in Ireland and was 48 at the time of treatment. |
| Years with MS | James was diagnosed about 20 years before treatment. |
| Why treatment abroad | HSCT is not offered as a routine treatment in Ireland. |
| How the hospital was chosen | James compared countries and chose HSCT Hospital India for the training of its medical staff and its record with the treatment. |
| Attendant | A friend travelled with James and stayed with him in hospital. |
| In his words | James calls it probably his best health care experience in any hospital in 20 years. |
| Price of the programme today | The 30 day programme has one all inclusive price of 30,000 US dollars. |
Why James travelled from Ireland for HSCT
James started by looking at which countries provided HSCT for MS. As he saw it, his only option was to pay for treatment in another country. Some Irish patients are funded by the HSE for HSCT in London.
"When I was doing my research I looked at the number of different countries that provided this. My home country does not provide this treatment, so my only options really were to pay to have this done somewhere else."
James, MS patient from Ireland, filmed at HSCT Hospital India
In 2024 an Irish consultant neurologist described plans for an HSCT centre in Ireland, but none runs as a routine service yet. The funding routes open to Irish patients and the cost of each option are compared in HSCT for MS in Ireland.
James weighed several countries before he chose. The HSCT India brochure, sent by email, sets out the four treatment stages, the 30 day stay and the single all inclusive price in one place.
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How James chose HSCT Hospital India
Two things decided it for James: how the medical staff were trained, and how well they carry the treatment out.
"Ultimately this centre was selected due to the combination of the excellence of the medical staff training and their ability to carry out this treatment successfully."
James, MS patient from Ireland, filmed at HSCT Hospital India
The doctors at HSCT Hospital India have treated more than 1,500 MS patients, from 30 countries. Treatment takes place in facilities accredited by JCI-USA, the Joint Commission International, and by NABH and NABL in India. There is no long waiting list for a place.
James did his research before he decided, and every patient can do the same. Send your MRI and treatment history through the form, and the HSCT specialist doctors give their opinion free of charge. The reply comes to you from an HSCT case manager.
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What James says about the treatment itself
James does not describe HSCT as easy. His advice is to prepare well and to know exactly what the treatment involves before you start it.
"With the treatment itself, it is grueling and difficult, and be well prepared, do your research, make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into."
James, MS patient from Ireland, filmed at HSCT Hospital India
He also points out what makes HSCT for MS different from many other stem cell therapies. The patient gives the stem cells and then receives them back.
"For an MS patient especially, as you’re donating your own stem cells, you undergo two parts, which is not normally the case with other stem cell therapies. You are the donor and the recipient."
James, MS patient from Ireland, filmed at HSCT Hospital India
Those two parts match the four stages of the programme. In the donor part, called mobilisation and harvest, growth factor injections and a short course of chemotherapy move stem cells from the bone marrow into the blood. A machine then collects the stem cells from the blood, and they are frozen and stored. In the recipient part, conditioning chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide and ATG clears the faulty immune cells, and the frozen stem cells are then returned through a drip. The protocol is non-myeloablative, meaning the bone marrow is suppressed but keeps its ability to recover.
James says to understand the treatment before you begin it. An HSCT case manager will ring you at a time you choose to go through each stage, and the call is free.
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The care James received in New Delhi
James compares his stay with every hospital he has been in since his diagnosis. He puts this one first.
"Having said that, the staff were excellent. At no point was I concerned that they didn’t know what they were doing. In fact, I think this has probably been my best health care experience in any facility, in any hospital, in 20 years."
James, MS patient from Ireland, filmed at HSCT Hospital India
He names the doctors, the nursing staff and the intensive care units. He also mentions being kept apart, and says it is deliberate.
"The quality of the team here are by far the best that I’ve ever had experience with. That’s not just the doctors. The nursing staff have been fantastic, the ICU units are fantastic, the facilities you have access to. You are locked down, it is by intent, but having said that, it has been a very good, positive experience."
James, MS patient from Ireland, filmed at HSCT Hospital India
The isolation James describes protects patients in the days after conditioning, when the immune system is at its lowest. Doctors call this stretch the aplastic phase. Throughout the 30 day stay, patient and attendant share a deluxe private room with triple level HEPA filters cleaning the air. Nurses watch for any fever around the clock, so an infection is treated at once.
What James tells other MS patients
James says he would return to HSCT Hospital India for any other procedure. He goes further, and asks other patients to press their own governments to let them travel for treatment.
"I would come back here for any other procedure, no questions asked, absolutely. In fact I’d go farther to say lobby your governments to make it appropriate for them to allow you to come here to take your treatment, instead of taking it locally if it’s available, or as is the case in Ireland, where it’s not available."
James, MS patient from Ireland, filmed at HSCT Hospital India
HSCT for MS patients from Ireland
HSCT Hospital India reviews each Irish patient on their own medical records, and the HSCT specialist doctors decide from that review. The 30 day programme costs 30,000 US dollars, all inclusive, for the patient and one attendant. That price covers the hospital stay, all doctor fees, tests, medicines and physiotherapy, with no further chemotherapy needed after discharge.
Patients from the United Kingdom describe the same programme: Victor Halls, Su and Gary. Sixteen patients are brought together in HSCT for MS reviews.
James’s account in full
Hello, my name is James. I come from Ireland, and I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis about 20 years ago or so. [I came] for HSCT treatment and specifically selected this place because, when I was doing my research, I looked at the number of different countries that provided this. My home country does not provide this treatment, so my only options really were to pay to have this done somewhere else. Ultimately this centre was selected due to the combination of the excellence of the medical staff training and their ability to carry out this treatment successfully.
With the treatment itself, it is grueling and difficult, and be well prepared, do your research, make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into. I would say that for an MS patient especially, as you’re donating your own stem cells, you undergo two parts, which is not normally the case with other stem cell therapies. You are the donor and the recipient.
Having said that, the staff were excellent. At no point was I concerned that they didn’t know what they were doing. In fact, I think this has probably been my best health care experience in any facility, in any hospital, in 20 years. I would come back here for any other procedure, no questions asked, absolutely. In fact I’d go farther to say lobby your governments to make it appropriate for them to allow you to come here to take your treatment, instead of taking it locally if it’s available, or as is the case in Ireland, where it’s not available.
The quality of the team here are by far the best that I’ve ever had experience with. That’s not just the doctors. The nursing staff have been fantastic, the ICU units are fantastic, the facilities you have access to. You are locked down, it is by intent, but having said that, it has been a very good, positive experience.
James’s experience is his own. HSCT suitability and outcomes vary between patients.
