MALAWI · AFRICA
Is there a bone marrow registry in Malawi?
For people who live in Malawi. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
As of , we haven’t found a bone marrow donor registry that people who live in Malawi can join. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one. In Malawi a transplant can mean a public appeal: in August 2024 students in Blantyre walked to raise about K30 million for a classmate who needed a bone marrow transplant, MBC reported. 12
| Region | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa 8 |
|---|---|
| Population | About 21.1 million (2023) 9 |
| Registry | None found as of 6 7 |
| World donor search | No organization based in Malawi lists adult donors or cord blood units in WMDA’s Search & Match (). 7 |
| Transplants | We found no stem cell transplant service in Malawi, which sends patients abroad for treatment it can’t give: The Nation reported in August 2018 that India’s High Commissioner said Malawi could treat at least 40 percent of the cases it refers to India with better equipment and specialists. 13 |
| Where we looked | 6 places, in English |
| Checked | |
| Next check |
What we found in Malawi
Malawi students raised funds in 2024 for a classmate’s marrow transplant, MBC reported. 12
| Where | Language | Finding | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Marrow Donor Association | English | On Oct 11, 2026, WMDA’s map of member registries showed none based in Malawi, and no organization based in Malawi listed donor records in WMDA’s Search & Match. 6 7 | |
| Ministry of Health, Malawi | English | On Oct 11, 2026, the site of Malawi’s Ministry of Health had nothing on bone marrow, its search just returned the homepage, and the Malawi Blood Transfusion Service addresses we tried didn’t resolve. 4 | |
| Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Malawi | English | On Oct 16, 2026, a search for “cancer” on the site of Malawi’s renamed Ministry of Health and Sanitation returned its homepage, which lists five central hospitals, from Queen Elizabeth in Blantyre to Kamuzu in Lilongwe, but nothing on cancer care or stem cell donors. 5 | |
3 more searches with nothing to add
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A web search on Oct 16, 2026 found no transplant service in Malawi; it led to UNC Project Malawi’s sickle cell clinic at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, which follows 2,400 children and adults and was set up in 1999 with Baylor and Malawi’s Ministry of Health. 14
Can people in Malawi join a registry abroad?
Has Malawi announced a registry or a law?
In January 2026 Malawi announced a referral plan, not a donor registry: The Citizen reported that after visiting Tanzania’s Benjamin Mkapa Hospital on Jan 16, 2026, Malawi’s health minister said the country would develop a strategy to send patients there, and Daily News says the hospital does marrow transplants for sickle cell disease. 10 11
Questions about Malawi
Are bone marrow or stem cell transplants done in Malawi?
We found no stem cell transplant service in Malawi, which sends patients abroad for treatment it can’t give: The Nation reported in August 2018 that India’s High Commissioner said Malawi could treat at least 40 percent of the cases it refers to India with better equipment and specialists. 13
About donating: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.
Know of a registry in Malawi?
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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
- SABMR. Donor Exclusion Criteria - SABMR.
- DKMS Africa. Registration (1/11) - first eligibility screen.
- DKMS Africa. Blood stem cell registration form for non-sa citizens.
Official bodies
- Ministry of Health, Malawi. Ministry of Health Malawi - Official Government Health website.
- Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Malawi. Ministry of Health Malawi. Checked
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
- Daily News (Tanzania). BMH moves to save more lives with new transplant fund. Updated Feb 10, 2026. Checked
- The Citizen (Tanzania). Burundi turns to Benjamin Mkapa Hospital as Tanzania's medical tourism gains ground. Updated Jul 17, 2026. Checked
- Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). MUBAS students aim to help fellow student. Updated Aug 4, 2024. Checked
- The Nation (Malawi). Most referrals don’t need to go to India—envoy. Updated Aug 30, 2018. Checked
- UNC School of Medicine, Division of Hematology. UNC Sickle Cell Care in Malawi. Checked