With the launch of its Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Clinaltec closed a gap that for years forced hematological patients from Tolima to seek treatment outside the department.
Until 2025, a patient from Ibagué diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma who required a hematopoietic stem cell transplant had only one alternative: travel. Bogotá, Medellín, or Cali concentrated the procedure, and with the displacement came everything else—the cost of supporting the family away from home, the interruption of support, and above all, the wait.
A timeframe that, in aggressive hematological diseases, directly impacts the prognosis.
A less invasive procedure than you might think
Dr. Luis Eduardo Buitrago, head of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Clinaltec, has explained that the procedure is usually imagined to be more complex than it is: it is not major surgery, but rather a process closer to a blood donation, in which stem cells are collected from the bloodstream and reinfused into the patient after conditioning.
It is not major surgery. The process is much more like a blood donation than people imagine.
Dr. Luis Eduardo Buitrago — Head of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit
The unit serves patients from Tolima, Huila, Caquetá, and the Coffee Region, and is integrated with the institution's other oncological services: oncological surgery, chemotherapy with multidisciplinary support, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. This integration is what allows the patient to complete their treatment pathway at a single location.
From the announcement to the first procedure
For Clinaltec, the unit is not an isolated service, but rather another piece of the purpose with which the institution has worked since its founding: ensuring that an oncological diagnosis in the center of the country does not force anyone to leave their region to receive high-complexity treatment.
The event in the media
The commissioning of the unit and the first transplant were covered by regional and national media.
The New DayClinaltec inaugurates in Ibagué the first bone marrow transplant unitMay 23, 2025
Caracol RadioIbagué now has a Bone Marrow Transplant UnitMay 25, 2025
Caracol RadioThe first bone marrow transplant was performed in TolimaJuly 25, 2025
Ecos del CombeimaClinaltec advances in cancer treatment with the arrival of bone marrow transplantationJan 16, 2025
This article was written by Clinaltec S.A.S. using its own information. The links lead to the original publications of each media outlet.
