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SAINT HELENA, ASCENSION AND TRISTAN DA CUNHA · AFRICA

Is there a bone marrow registry in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha?

For people who live in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Live somewhere else? Find your place.

As of , we haven’t found a bone marrow donor registry that people who live in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha can join. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one. No UK registry takes people living on Saint Helena: three ask whether you live in the UK, and the fourth takes only blood donors. 2–5

No verified way to join yetHow we check
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha at a glance
PlaceSaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (St. Helena) 18
RegionWestern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa 16
PopulationAbout 5,290 (2023) 17
RegistryNone found as of 14 15
World donor searchNo organization based in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha lists adult donors or cord blood units in WMDA’s Search & Match (). 15
TransplantsSt Helena’s government said in June 2021 that only 7% of the island’s eligible population were blood donors, and that donor numbers were falling with age, illness and people emigrating. 8
Where we looked6 places, in English
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What we found in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

UK registries don’t take people living on Saint Helena. 2 3

WhereLanguageFindingDate
World Marrow Donor AssociationEnglishOn Oct 11, 2026, WMDA’s map of member registries showed none based in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and no organization based in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha listed donor records in WMDA’s Search & Match. 14 15
Anthony NolanEnglishOn Oct 11, 2026, Anthony Nolan’s application asked “Do you live in the UK?” and DKMS UK’s asked whether you live in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man; neither names the Overseas Territories, such as Saint Helena. 2 3
St Helena GovernmentEnglishA web search on Oct 11, 2026 found that St Helena’s Pathology Department keeps a panel of about 180 mobile blood donors, called when blood is needed, but no stem cell donor register, and nothing for Ascension or Tristan da Cunha. 9
NHS Blood and TransplantEnglishOn Oct 11, 2026, NHS Blood and Transplant took only blood donors aged 17 to 40, who join when they next give blood, and the Welsh registry asked whether you are a UK resident, so neither is open to people on Saint Helena. 4 5
2 more searches with nothing to add
  • Web search English ·
  • NMDP English ·

Can people in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha join a registry abroad?

Anthony Nolan takes people aged 16 to 30 who live in the UK and keeps them on the register until 61; on Oct 11, 2026 its form had no option for Saint Helena, Ascension or Tristan da Cunha. 1 2

When we checked on Oct 16, 2026, the South African Bone Marrow Registry excluded anyone not living in South Africa, or leaving within two years, so people on Saint Helena can’t join it from home, even though the island’s patients are treated in South Africa. 6

Are stem cell transplants done in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha?

The UK government’s travel advice says Ascension has a small hospital for most routine treatment, and that on Tristan da Cunha operations and serious cases usually need evacuation to Cape Town, with up to 2 months before a ship is available. 12

Questions about Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Can a hospital in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha search abroad for a donor?

St Helena Government says patients who need specialist care overseas have been sent to Pretoria, South Africa, since 2018, after earlier referrals to Cape Town. 10

St Helena Government said in December 2024 that UK funding under the British Indian Ocean Territory agreement would help clear a list of about 50 people waiting for critical overseas treatment, and that the first group had already left for South Africa. 11

St Helena’s Health and Social Care Portfolio said in July 2024 that it ranks overseas medical referrals by clinical need and keeps a waiting list for all of them, within tight budgets. 13

About donating: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.

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Know of a registry in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha?

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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. Anthony Nolan. Join the register.
  2. Anthony Nolan. Apply to join the stem cell register — Eligibility.
  3. DKMS Foundation (UK). Register as a potential donor.
  4. NHS Blood and Transplant. Joining the register.
  5. Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry (Welsh Blood Service). Check your eligibility.
  6. South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR). Donor Exclusion Criteria.

Official bodies

  1. St Helena Government. St Helena (homepage).
  2. St Helena Government. World Blood Donor Day (10 June 2021). Updated Jun 10, 2021.
  3. St Helena Government. World Blood Donor Day 2023. Updated Jun 14, 2023.
  4. St Helena Government. Overseas Medical Referrals To Pretoria - Update. Updated Dec 13, 2019. Checked
  5. St Helena Government. Medical overseas referrals update. Updated Dec 5, 2024. Checked
  6. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (GOV.UK). St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha travel advice: Health. Updated Sep 10, 2026. Checked
  7. St Helena Government. Overseas Medical Referral Update. Updated Jul 16, 2024. 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. Unicode CLDR. By-Type Chart: Locale Display Names:Territories (Africa). Checked