A center for bone marrow transplantation is planned to be opened in Macedonia in mid-2013, which will be in line with all international standards.

“The decision, including guidelines and a time-frame to complete the system, has been reached by the Government, which will provide finances from the budget regardless of the amount in the interest of the patients”, Government Spokesman Aleksandar Gjorgiev stated at a press conference on Saturday.

With the establishment of the system, which is to be linked with other countries, patients with blood disorders will not have to be treated abroad. Their treatment in healthcare institutions at home will cut down financial expenses.

"One million euros that would otherwise be spent on 3 to 10 patients for treatment abroad can be used for the treatment of 70 patients in Macedonia with the new system that has the same standards and the same quality," Gjorgiev said.

Two new bodies need to be established in order to complete the system in line with international standards.

"Therefore, the Government has decided to form a Single National Register of Unrelated Donors of Hematopoietic Stem Cell and to open a laboratory center for histocompatibility and immunogenetics with funds from the budget," said the spokesman.

The project’s action plan adopted by the Government envisages amendments to the law on taking and transplanting parts from the human body for treatment to be passed no later than mid-September, in which the register and the labs will be taken into consideration.

The Single National Register should launch its operations in October. Its establishment will be based on the Macedonian Bone Marrow Transplant Register, which includes about 200 donors annually. The Government and the Health Fund will invest funds in a bid to increase the number of donors up to 2.000 in order to be taken into consideration for international qualification and accreditation.

"This project by the Government is a crucial step in the field of medicine that is profoundly beneficial for Macedonian patients," spokesman Gjorgiev concluded.