The Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) has announced the establishment of a bone marrow registry, which will fill a void and strengthen Namibia’s prospective donor pool.

The launch of the Namibian Chapter includes an extensive education rollout on what a bone marrow registry is, as well as the signing up of new members and testing of these new potential donors across the country.

A bone marrow registry collects information on people who are willing and able to donate bone marrow and is entered into a database.

The programme is expected to begin in April this year, with the first donor drive set to take place in Windhoek, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

CAN Chief Executive Officer, Rolf Hansen in an interview with Nampa on Monday said that currently there is no bone marrow registry in Namibia and the majority of Africa, with South Africa being the centre of excellence for the region and that there are a few Namibians on the current South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR).

‘’We’ve noticed that there aren’t many Namibians listed on the international bone marrow registry, and regrettably, the situation is even worse for African donors as a whole. We need to expand our pool of potential donors if we want to save the lives of our people,” he said.

Bone marrow transplants, he stressed, are especially important to treat blood cancers and associated marrow diseases, saying that the procedure has been used successfully to treat diseases such as leukaemia, lymphomas, aplastic anaemia, immune deficiency disorders, and some solid tumour cancers since 1968.

Once the eligibility screening process is complete, new potential donors will be tested and registered without charge.

People who are interested in becoming bone marrow donors and are at least 16 years old are encouraged to register with the CAN, whose medical department will handle all other arrangements, Hansen said.

“Through the new partnership, CAN will work with existing registries to create a Namibian chapter in the international registry and act as an engagement partner to support the establishment of similar initiatives in Botswana and Angola in the near future. More lives in Africa and possibly the entire world can be saved the more bone marrow donors we have registered,” Hansen concluded.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency