ESWATINI · AFRICA
Is there a bone marrow registry in Eswatini?
For people who live in Eswatini. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
As of , no bone marrow donor registry signs up people who live in Eswatini. SABMR’s Matches on the Map campaign has held donor drives in Eswatini since September 2023, its reports say, but SABMR’s rules require living in South Africa. 2 4 5
| Region | Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa 11 |
|---|---|
| Population | About 1.2 million (2023) 12 |
| World donor search | No organization based in Eswatini lists adult donors or cord blood units in WMDA’s Search & Match (). 10 |
| Transplants | Eswatini sends patients to South Africa for cancer care it can’t give at home: Applied Radiation Oncology reported in January 2025 that the country has no radiotherapy and helps patients get it in South Africa through its Phalala Medical Referral Fund, an arrangement Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula called not sustainable. 13 |
| Where we looked | 7 places, in English |
| Checked | |
| Next check |
Why is there no link to a registry in Eswatini?
On Oct 11, 2026, SABMR’s online donor form listed Swaziland, Eswatini’s former name, among its countries, while SABMR’s written donor rules exclude anyone who doesn’t live in South Africa or will be there for less than two years. 1 3
SABMR’s 2023/24 report says a South African transplant survivor and his wife began touring Southern Africa in September 2023, with Eswatini their first border crossing, to set up stem cell donor drives; that is event recruitment, not a way for people in Eswatini to sign up any time. 4
What we found in Eswatini
SABMR has held donor drives in Eswatini, but has no standing route there. 5
| Where | Language | Finding | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Marrow Donor Association | English | On Oct 11, 2026, WMDA’s map of member registries showed none based in Eswatini, and no organization based in Eswatini listed donor records in WMDA’s Search & Match. 9 10 | |
| SABMR | English | On Oct 16, 2026, the place list in SABMR’s donor form still offered Swaziland, Eswatini’s former name, with 23 towns from Big Bend and Bhunya to Piggs Peak and Siteki, while SABMR’s rules still read “Not living in South Africa (or leaving within 2 years)”. 1 2 | |
| SABMR NPC | English | On Oct 11, 2026, SABMR’s 2024/25 annual report said the Matches on the Map team had held successful recruitment drives in Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa before reaching Namibia. 5 | |
4 more searches with nothing to add
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Can people in Eswatini join a registry abroad?
Has Eswatini announced a registry or a law?
Eswatini has a cancer plan rather than a donor registry: Applied Radiation Oncology reported in January 2025 that an August 2024 review found a National Cancer Control Unit at the Ministry of Health, a 60-bed chemotherapy unit at Manzini Government Hospital and a new nuclear and radiation safety law. 13
Questions about Eswatini
Are bone marrow or stem cell transplants done in Eswatini?
Eswatini sends patients to South Africa for cancer care it can’t give at home: Applied Radiation Oncology reported in January 2025 that the country has no radiotherapy and helps patients get it in South Africa through its Phalala Medical Referral Fund, an arrangement Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula called not sustainable. 13
About donating: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.
Know of a registry in Eswatini?
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The link preview says: “No registry to join. Here’s what is there instead.”
Registries
- SABMR. Become A Donor - SABMR.
- SABMR. Donor Exclusion Criteria - SABMR.
- SABMR NPC. DOC048 Donor Exclusion Criteria, version 3 (policy).
- SABMR NPC. Annual Report 2023/24 ('Finding matches on the map'), linked from sabmr.co.za/3d-flip-book/annual-report-2024/. 2023.
- SABMR NPC. Annual Report 2024/25, linked from sabmr.co.za/3d-flip-book/annual-report-2025/.
- DKMS Africa. Registration (1/11) - first eligibility screen.
- DKMS Africa. Blood stem cell registration form for non-sa citizens.
Official bodies
- Government of Eswatini. Ministry of Health page (timed out). Unavailable when read
Figures and lists
- World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). Find your registry.
- WMDA. WMDA Total Number of Donors and Cord blood units.
- United Nations Statistics Division. Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49): Overview (English table).
- UN DESA Population Division. World Population Prospects 2024: Total population by sex (CSV).
Other sources
- Applied Radiation Oncology. Eswatini Working to Finalize the Country's First Radiotherapy Center. Updated Jan 2, 2025. Checked