IRAQ · ASIA
Is there a bone marrow registry in Iraq?
For people who live in Iraq. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
As of , we haven’t found a bone marrow donor registry that people who live in Iraq can join. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one. The bone marrow transplant center at Hiwa Cancer Hospital in Sulaymaniyah, in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, has treated 523 patients from across Iraq, its director told Shafaq News in July 2026. 9
| Place | Iraq (العراق, عێراق) 11 |
|---|---|
| Region | Western Asia, Asia 6 |
| Population | About 45.1 million (2023) 7 |
| Registry | None found as of 4 5 |
| World donor search | No organization based in Iraq lists adult donors or cord blood units in WMDA’s Search & Match (). 4 |
| Transplants | Hiwa Cancer Hospital’s director said its center had done 128 transplants for patients from Erbil, 36 from Duhok and 99 from central and southern Iraq, and that about 60% of its patients travel from outside Sulaymaniyah and nearby areas, Shafaq News reported. 9 |
| Where we looked | 4 places, in English and Arabic |
| Checked | |
| Next check |
What we found in Iraq
Shafaq News says Sulaymaniyah’s Hiwa hospital treats transplant patients from across Iraq. 9
| Where | Language | Finding | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Marrow Donor Association | English | On Oct 11, 2026, the World Marrow Donor Association’s member map, organization database and statistics had no entry for Iraq. 4 5 8 | |
| Web search | English | On Oct 11, 2026, web searches in English and Arabic found no Iraqi donor registry; Shafaq News reported in July 2026 on Hiwa Cancer Hospital’s transplant center, the main result. 9 | |
| Imam Hussain Holy Shrine (official website) | English | On Oct 16, 2026, a web search for Iraqi transplant centers found the Imam Hussain Holy Shrine’s Imam Al-Mujtaba Hospital and the Baghdad center Shafaq News reported on in June 2026, but no Iraqi stem cell donor registry. 1 10 | |
| Web search | English | Nothing to add |
We couldn’t open the website of Ministry of Health, Iraq when we tried on Oct 11, 2026. That tells us nothing about whether it offers a way to join.
Are stem cell transplants done in Iraq?
Iraq’s National Center for Teaching Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation, set up in 2002 in Baghdad’s Medical City, has done more than 400 transplants with patients’ own cells since 2013, Shafaq News reported in June 2026. 10
Imam Al-Mujtaba Hospital for Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, run by the Imam Hussain Holy Shrine, said in November 2025 that it had done more than 235 transplants for adults and children, about 74 for adults and 14 for children that year. 1
Hiwa Cancer Hospital’s director said in July 2026 that its first major bone marrow transplant was free for the patient and would have cost about $140,000 outside Iraqi Kurdistan, and that 40% of its staff work without salaries, Shafaq News reported. 9
Has Iraq announced a registry or a law?
In April 2026, the Imam Hussain Holy Shrine’s health authority announced plans for a bone marrow transplant center with 100 transplant units in Iraq, working with the main transplant center at Baghdad’s Medical City; the plan named no donor registry. 2
Questions about Iraq
Can a hospital in Iraq search abroad for a donor?
Iraqi patients still travel abroad for some bone marrow transplants: the Imam Hussain Holy Shrine said in April 2026 that its planned transplant center aims to reduce the need for patients to go abroad for treatment. 2
About donating: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.
Know of a registry in Iraq?
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The link preview says: “No verified way to join yet. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Here’s what we checked.”
Registries
- Imam Hussain Holy Shrine (official website). 235 Bone Marrow Transplants and Free Cancer Care: Imam Al-Mujtaba Hospital Continues Humanitarian Mission. Updated Nov 3, 2025. Checked
- Imam Hussain Holy Shrine (official website). Imam Hussain Shrine Plans World’s Largest Bone Marrow Project. Updated Apr 7, 2026. Checked
Official bodies
- Ministry of Health, Iraq. Secure Gateway (verification page). Tried ; we couldn’t open it
Figures and lists
- WMDA. WMDA Total Number of Donors and Cord blood units.
- World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). Find your registry.
- 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).
- WMDA (Share, Organisation data public access). Database.
Other sources
- Shafaq News. Hiwa Hospital achieves Iraq's first major bone marrow transplant. Updated Jul 12, 2026.
- Shafaq News. Iraq performs bone marrow transplant on leukemia child. Updated Jun 9, 2026. Checked
- Unicode CLDR. By-Type Chart: Locale Display Names:Territories (Asia). Checked