Upgrade for bone marrow registry

THE PLANNING Bureau has signed a contract with the Karaiskakio Foundation to finance the improvement of the Cyprus Bone Marrow Donor Registry with the aim of improving public health and reducing health inequalities.

The project contract was signed on Wednesday and will be implemented under the Norway Grants 2009-2014 programme. 

The total budget is €756,808, with Norway Grants providing 90 per cent of the total and Karaiskakio Foundation the remaining 10 per cent. 

The main objective of the project is to improve public health and reduce health inequalities. According to a Planning Bureau press release, this will be achieved by upgrading the infrastructure of the Cyprus Bone Marrow Donor Registry, addressing many of its technical and operational weaknesses, improving its capacity to serve the needs of all Cypriots (Greek and Turkish), as well as international patients, and helping to maintain its sustainability. 

A recruitment campaign will encourage Cypriots to register for the bicommunal donor database. 

In addition, the aim is for the registry to further enhance collaborative work with international donor registries including the Norwegian Bone Marrow Donor Registry. 

The two national registries will organise a meeting of the Group of European Medium-Size Registries in Cyprus and further enhance their collaboration through the exchange of information and stem cells for patients in need of a bone marrow transplant. 

The beneficiaries of the project are leukaemia patients in need of hematopoietic stem cell transplant from the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities as well as leukaemia patients from other countries, as well as staff at the Karaiskakio Foundation and other registries worldwide, said the press release.

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