Shafaq News- Baghdad

A specialized medical team at the National Center for Teaching Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation in Baghdad successfully performed a bone marrow transplant on a 9-year-old girl diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Iraq's Ministry of Health announced.

The procedure used stem cells collected from the patient's 18-month-old sister, who is the youngest stem cell donor on record in Iraq. The two sisters achieved a 100% compatibility match, according to the ministry's statement.

All required medical and laboratory examinations were completed before the operation. Both the patient and her donor sister are reported to be in good health. The ministry credited the outcome to the center's medical, nursing, anesthesia, and support teams.

Established in 2002, the National Center for Teaching Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation is Iraq's premier public hematology facility, located within the Medical City Complex (Madinat al-Tibb), one of the largest hospital complexes in Baghdad, in the Rusafa district. The center specializes in treating leukemia, lymphoma, and thalassemia, and serves as the capital's primary institution for stem cell transplants. It has performed over 400 autologous transplants since 2013, with Iraq's first successful allogeneic transplant, using a compatible donor, completed in 2022.

Over 45% of Iraq's annual health budget is dedicated to cancer treatment, covering chemotherapy, surgeries, and diagnostic tests provided free of charge, yet demand has surged far beyond capacity.

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