UGANDA · AFRICA
Is there a bone marrow registry in Uganda?
For people who live in Uganda. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
As of , we haven’t found a bone marrow donor registry that people who live in Uganda can join. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one. The Uganda Cancer Institute did Uganda’s first bone marrow transplant in 2026, using the patient’s own stem cells, the Daily Monitor reported in April 2026. 11
| Region | Eastern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa 9 |
|---|---|
| Population | About 48.7 million (2023) 10 |
| Registry | None found as of 7 8 |
| World donor search | No organization based in Uganda lists adult donors or cord blood units in WMDA’s Search & Match (). 8 |
| Transplants | The Daily Monitor reported that Uganda’s first transplant patient was treated for multiple myeloma by a fully local team at the Uganda Cancer Institute, with Uganda’s health minister presiding at his discharge. 11 |
| Where we looked | 5 places, in English |
| Checked | |
| Next check |
What we found in Uganda
Uganda’s first marrow transplant used the patient’s own cells, the Daily Monitor reported. 11
| Where | Language | Finding | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Marrow Donor Association | English | On Oct 11, 2026, WMDA’s map of member registries showed none based in Uganda, and no organization based in Uganda listed donor records in WMDA’s Search & Match. 7 8 | |
| Uganda Blood Transfusion Service | English | On Oct 11, 2026, the Uganda Blood Transfusion Service’s site covered blood donation only, with nothing on stem cell donors; the health ministry’s site search just returned its homepage, and the Uganda Cancer Institute’s site didn’t load. 6 | |
| Web search | English | An English web search on Oct 11, 2026 found no Ugandan donor registry, but led to a report, published by the Daily Monitor in April 2026, that the Uganda Cancer Institute at Mulago had discharged its first bone marrow transplant patient. 11 | |
2 more searches with nothing to add
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An English web search on Oct 16, 2026 found no donor registry in Uganda; the Daily Monitor reported that the Uganda Cancer Institute’s second bone marrow transplant, a patient discharged by Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi on Sept 10, 2026, again used the patient’s own stem cells. 12
Can people in Uganda join a registry abroad?
Are stem cell transplants done in Uganda?
A doctor at the Uganda Cancer Institute told the Daily Monitor the transplant cost about $15,000 in Uganda, against the roughly $50,000 patients are charged when they go abroad for it. 11
Uganda’s JCRC, based in Lubowa, says it is setting up bone marrow transplant services and will do both autologous transplants and allogeneic ones, which use cells from another person, for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell disease and other blood disorders. 4
The Observer reported in March 2026 that C-Care IHK in Kampala was working with India’s Gleneagles and Fortis hospitals to build Uganda’s capacity for bone marrow transplants, and that an estimated 20,000 Ugandans travel to India each year for advanced care. 13
The Daily Monitor reported that the Uganda Cancer Institute’s second transplant patient, a 56-year-old businessman from Gulu, had already decided to have his transplant in India and chose Uganda once he learned it could be done there; the first patient, discharged in April 2026, had received the transplant free. 12
Has Uganda announced a registry or a law?
JCRC said in December 2025 that Rotary District 9213 had visited to discuss building Uganda’s first bone marrow transplant facility at its Lubowa headquarters, for patients who now depend on referrals abroad. We haven’t found any announcement of a Ugandan donor registry. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one. 5
Know of a registry in Uganda?
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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.
- Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC). Bone Marrow Transplant (clinical service page). Updated Mar 25, 2025. Checked
- Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC). Rotary District 9213 Explores Partnership with JCRC to Establish Uganda's First Bone Marrow Transplant Facility. Updated Dec 5, 2025. Checked
Official bodies
- Uganda Blood Transfusion Service. UBTS-Home.
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 Monitor (Uganda). Uganda performs its first bone marrow transplant. Updated Apr 27, 2026.
- Daily Monitor (Uganda). UCI discharges second bone marrow transplant patient. Updated Sep 11, 2026. Checked
- The Observer (Uganda). Uganda moves to end costly India trips for 20,000 cancer patients each year. Updated Mar 4, 2026. Checked