The civic-run KEM hospital is all set to provide free treatment to pediatric patients suffering from the rare genetic disorder called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1, 2 and 3. With this, it becomes the first civic-run hospital in Maharashtra to provide free treatment for the rare disease with Spinraza - currently the only approved drug for its treatment.

The move came after a two-year-old from Sion was diagnosed with the rare disease when he was six months old. The type 1 SMA restricted his movement and growth with the voluntary movement of his muscles confined. He cannot walk or move like children his age can and thus has no control over his excretory system either. For pediatric patients suffering from this disease, the life expectancy is usually as short as two to three years but can vary to some extent.