Guwahati, Sept 10: In an effort to raise awareness about the increasing prevalence of blood cancer and the crucial role of stem cell transplant as a treatment option, DKMS-BMST Foundation India, a non-profit organisation dedicated to fighting blood cancer, conducted a donor registration drive at The University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM).

The drive aimed to encourage young people to come forward and register as potential stem cell donors.

Blood cancer, a group of diseases affecting the blood and bone marrow, has been on the rise in recent years. Stem cell transplantation is often considered a life-saving treatment option for patients suffering from these conditions. In this life-saving medical procedure, a patient’s diseased or damaged bone marrow cells are replaced with healthy stem cells from a matching donor. Blood stem cells can regenerate into healthy blood cells, giving patients a second chance at life. However, finding a matching donor can be difficult, as there is only a 1-in-a-million chance of a patient finding a match on the registry.

Patrick Paul, CEO of DKMS-BMST Foundation India, emphasised the critical need for more young people to join the donor registry. “Every 5 minutes, someone in India is diagnosed with blood cancer or a blood disorder like Thalassemia or Aplastic Anemia. Many such patients are children and young people whose only chance of recovery is a stem cell transplant.”

“In the North-East region, DKMS-BMST has registered more than 6000 potential stem cell donors out of which around 1500 are from Assam and 170 are from Meghalaya. However, these numbers are not enough as many patients are waiting to find a suitable stem cell donor. To help these patients and many more we urge the young people to come forward and be a part of this drive. We urge them to consider this act of kindness and become part of the global community of stem cell donors.”

Professor (Dr.) Gauri Dutt Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of Meghalaya University of Science and Technology, expressed his support for the initiative, stating, “We are glad that DKMS-BMST is making efforts to raise awareness about blood cancer and the importance of stem cell donation. Our university is committed to promoting the health and well-being of our students and the community. We are happy that DKMS-BMST is organising a donor registration drive at the USTM for mass awareness generation. Together, we aim to create awareness among the community through students and hope that many youngsters would register as potential blood stem cell donors.”

The donor registration drive at Meghalaya University of Science and Technology is a significant step in increasing the pool of potential stem cell donors in the region.

Also Read: Meghalaya Govt launches India’s first fully digital lottery

Also Watch

Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.

Also, Follow us on-

Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub

Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020

Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub

Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub