Bone marrow registry on the way

Increasing donor pool
The number of Namibian donors on the global register is low, and even lower for the rest of Africa.
Henriette Lamprecht
    - 2023-02-28 08:20:00
A Namibian branch of the World Bone Marrow Registry will finally see the light of day soon.
This move to add much-needed donors to increase the pool to save lives, is thanks to the partnership between the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) and new key players. Part of the process is an extensive educational programme, the registration of new donors, as well as the testing of these possible donors.
According to CAN's chief executive, Rolf Hansen, there are few Namibians on the global bone marrow registry and the number of African donors is even less.
"To save the lives of our people, we need to strengthen our prospective donor pool," Hansen says.
Bone marrow transplants are especially important to treat blood cancer and associated bone marrow diseases. The procedure has been used successfully since 1968 to treat diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, aplastic anemia, immunodeficiency disorders, and some solid tumor cancers.
Currently, there is no bone marrow registry in Namibia or most of Africa, with neighbouring South Africa being the main hub. However, there are already a few Namibians who are on the current South African Bone Marrow Register (SABMR).
Thanks to the new partnership, Namibia will collaborate with existing registries to set up a Namibian branch for the global registry. It will also serve as a partner to help start similar programs in Botswana and Angola in the future.
"The more bone marrow donors we have registered, the more lives we can save in Africa and even the world," Hansen says.
The hope is that the new program will be launched in early April, with the first outreaches for donors to be held in Windhoek, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.
New potential donors will be tested and registered for free the moment the eligibility screening process is completed. Persons over 16 who would like to register as potential donors can send an email to [email protected]. CAN's medical department will handle all further arrangements thereafter.