On Wednesday, 14 August on the square in front of the Sarajevo Cathedral, the beginning of donations of blood will take place. This means the beginning of the formation of a registry of the bone marrow bank in BIH, said Amela Sućeska, program manager and president of the nonprofit organization ‘’Mala’’, which started the project of a bone marrow bank in BIH, according to portal Indikator.ba.
If all goes according to plan, BIH could quickly have its register of potential donors, most likely in the next two months.
“This is a live saver for our patients, because in this case a bone marrow transplant would cost 50.000 euros instead of 350.000 euros’’, said Sućeska. She explained that blood typing still cannot work in BIH, because no laboratory is certified for it.
She added that in the beginning blood typing would be undertaken in Croatia, at KBC in “Rebro”, and an agreement has been signed.
“The findings are entered into a register under codes and when there is a sufficient number of donors, and according to the last European standards there were around 5.000 donors, it enters into the European and World Associations, so that our patients could use the entire donor network from the entire world’’, said Sućeska.
She thinks that it would not be a problem to gather 5.000 donors, that it would not be a problem for blood typing, even if the price for one is around 500 euros.
“With the help of sponsors and donors I think we would be able to finance it. We are working on an agreement with Croatia so that they sponsor one part and for the price to be lower. The bone marrow bank in Croatia even offered to, until we meet all conditions, to have blood typing under our flag within their banks, so that before the registration of the bank we could enter the European and world markets and our patients could use their services’’, said Sućeska.
The first donor evening is planned in October in Sarajevo. Guests will be ambassadors of the project, religious leaders, prominent businesspeople, BIH football players, members of the diplomatic corps, and representatives of the health, cultural, sports and show business areas.
The Ambassadors of this project are: Mustafa efendija Cerić, Cardinal Vinko Puljić, Bishop Grigorije, Ivica Osim, Alija Behmen, Ibrahim Hadžibajrić, Hamdo Katica, Edhem Pašukan, Amina Deljković, Jasmila Žbanić, Damir Hadžić and Željko Komšić.
At the donor’s dinner, the following will be promoted: reisu-ul-ulema Husein efendija Kavazović, Miralem Pjanić, Jakov Finci, Edin Džeko, Elvir Švrakić, Safet Sušić, BIH Football Association and Asmir Begović.
The NGO “Mala” will hold a press conference for the media on Wednesday, 7 August at 14:00 in municipality Stari Grad.
