More step forward to donate bone marrow in Singapore
Only about 20% of the 500 yearly search requests for a bone marrow donor eventually lead to a transplant.
In Singapore, the number of individuals donating bone marrow has increased, with the Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP) facilitating 71 donations in 2026, surpassing the 57 recorded in all of 2025. BMDP chief executive Charles Loh made this announcement at Match for Life 2026, a walkathon held at Bidadari Park. The rise in donations is attributed to increasing transplant needs, greater utilization of local donors, and BMDP's initiatives to make transplants more accessible to patients.
BMDP is a non-profit organization responsible for maintaining Singapore's sole registry of volunteer marrow donors. The program currently has over 130,000 registered donors; however, donor dropout remains a significant challenge for the organization.
Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng, who serves as BMDP's patron, highlighted that while the program receives approximately 500 search requests per year from hospitals for marrow donor matches, only around 20% lead to a successful transplant. Tan emphasized the need to expand and diversify the donor registry to enhance the likelihood of finding suitable matches for patients in need of transplants.
As of September, 247 potential donors had agreed to donate marrow when contacted, bringing patients closer to life-saving transplants. The BMDP corporate partner programme has expanded from 26 organizations in 2025 to 48 organizations in 2026, offering support to employees who wish to donate their bone marrow. About 800 people participated in the walkathon, including 262 registered marrow donors, 12 of whom have already donated marrow or stem cells to patients in need.
One participant, psychiatrist Daniel Kwek, 60, discovered a red patch on his knee and was later diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare and aggressive blood cancer affecting the bone marrow. Kwek underwent chemotherapy and ultimately decided to donate bone marrow after being matched through BMDP. He successfully completed a transplant in 2019 and now only requires regular check-ups every four to six months. Kwek credits the transplant for giving him a "second lease on life."
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