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LIBYA · AFRICA

Is there a bone marrow registry in Libya?

For people who live in Libya. Live somewhere else? Find your country.

As of , we haven’t found a bone marrow donor registry that people who live in Libya can join. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Libya’s National Organ Transplant Authority covers organ transplants; Libyan children who need bone marrow transplants have been flown to Italy, most recently in 2024. 6 7

No verified way to join yetHow we check
Libya at a glance
PlaceLibya (ليبيا) 15
RegionNorthern Africa, Africa 11
PopulationAbout 7.3 million (2023) 12
RegistryNone found as of 9 10
World donor searchNo organization based in Libya lists adult donors or cord blood units in WMDA’s Search & Match (). 10
TransplantsThe Italian government said in August 2024 that a Libyan boy with leukemia, the first of 36 Libyan children with serious cancers moved to Italy, needed an immediate bone marrow transplant; an Arabic search on Oct 11, 2026 found no transplant unit opening in Libya in 2025 or 2026. 7
Where we looked7 places, in English and Arabic
Checked
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What we found in Libya

Libyan children needing marrow transplants have gone to Italy. 7

WhereLanguageFindingDate
World Marrow Donor AssociationEnglishOn Oct 11, 2026, WMDA’s map of member registries showed none based in Libya, and no organization based in Libya listed donor records in WMDA’s Search & Match. 9 10
Presidency of the Council of Ministers, ItalyEnglishAn English web search on Oct 11, 2026 for transplant centers in Tripoli or Benghazi found no Libyan registry or unrelated-donor service, only reports of Libyan children flown to Italy for treatment in 2019 and 2024. 7 8
Ministry of Health, LibyaArabicOn Oct 11, 2026, the Libyan Ministry of Health’s section on its National Organ Transplant Authority described organ transplant services, policy and training, with no stem cell donor registry or way to sign up. 6
4 more searches with nothing to add
  • Web search Arabic and English · 3 searches,
  • NMDP English ·

Can people in Libya join a registry abroad?

South Africa’s two registries take only people who live in South Africa: on Oct 11, 2026, DKMS Africa’s form asked first whether you live there, and SABMR excluded anyone not living there, so people in Libya can’t join either from home. 4 5

Are stem cell transplants done in Libya?

The Italian government said the 36 Libyan children were moving to Italy for treatment under an agreement between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, starting at Rome’s Bambino Gesù hospital. 7

Libya’s Ministry of Health said in July 2026 that its minister, Mohamed Ali Al-Ghouj, had discussed with Italy’s health minister, Orazio Schillaci, in Rome expanding cooperation on bone marrow transplantation and training Libyan medical staff, Libyan Express reported. 13

Decode39 reported on July 28, 2026 that the Rome talks between Libya’s and Italy’s health ministers reviewed progress since a declaration of intent the two countries signed in Tripoli in 2024, under Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa, with a focus on training Libya’s health workforce. 14

Questions about Libya

Can a hospital in Libya search abroad for a donor?

We haven’t found a Libyan hospital that searches donor registries abroad. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Italy’s foreign ministry said in September 2019 that four Libyan children with blood diseases Libyan facilities couldn’t treat had been flown from Benghazi to Rome for treatment at Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital. 8

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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.”

Sources

How we check

Checked , unless a source says otherwise.

Registries

  1. NMDP. Cooperative Registries.
  2. DKMS (US). DKMS Extends International Footprint with South African Partnership. Updated Aug 2, 2020.
  3. DKMS Africa (DKMS Foundation NPC). FAQs | Blood Stem Cell Donation with DKMS Africa.
  4. DKMS Africa (DKMS Foundation NPC). Register as a potential donor.
  5. South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR). Donor Exclusion Criteria.

Official bodies

  1. Ministry of Health, Libya. الهيئة الوطنية لزراعة الأعضاء (National Organ Transplant Authority).
  2. Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Italy. 36 Libyan children with serious oncological conditions to be transferred to Italy: first patient arrives in Rome. Updated Aug 6, 2024.
  3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy. Libya: humanitarian operation brings to Italy four Libyan paediatric patients. Updated Sep 19, 2019. Checked

Figures and lists

  1. World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). Find your registry.
  2. WMDA. WMDA Total Number of Donors and Cord blood units.
  3. United Nations Statistics Division. Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49): Overview (English table).
  4. UN DESA Population Division. World Population Prospects 2024: Total population by sex (CSV).

Other sources

  1. Libyan Express. Libya and Italy discuss cooperation on bone marrow transplantation. Updated Jul 28, 2026. Checked
  2. Decode39. Italy, Libya deepen health cooperation as Rome links partnership to Mattei Plan. Updated Jul 28, 2026. Checked
  3. Unicode CLDR. By-Type Chart: Locale Display Names:Territories (Africa). Checked