SINGAPORE, Sept. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Singapore Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan opened the country's first public cord blood bank of international standards on Wednesday, according to Channel NewsAsia report.
Also the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, the Singapore Cord Blood Bank is expected to save some 80 Singaporeans with blood disorders and cancers every year, as well as patients from the region.
Having collected about 500 umbilical cord blood units in public hospitals, the bank hopes to extend its collection to private hospitals by the end of this year.
It aims to increase its store to 10,000 units in three to five years, which will provide patients with an 80 percent chance of finding a good match, according to doctors.
The newly-opened bank will also join the US National Bone Marrow Donor Program to increase the chance for a good match.
Out of the 200 to 400 Singaporeans who are diagnosed with fatal blood diseases every year, some 80 to 90 need to do the cord blood match, the report said. Enditem
|
