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SINGAPORE: Each day, at least six Singaporeans are diagnosed with leukaemia and other blood-related diseases.
And while there is a relatively steady flow of donors, the Malay-Muslim community is reportedly severely under-represented.
Currently, there are around 2,000 Malay-Muslim donors, compared to more than 42,000 for the Chinese community.
As such, the Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP) is stepping up efforts to encourage more Malay-Muslims to contribute to the cause.
In collaboration with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), the programme's administrators will embark on a year-long campaign to increase awareness, especially during Friday sessions at mosques islandwide.
It hopes to increase the number of donors by another 3,000 within the next 12 months.
From this month onwards, the mosques will help to spread the message through its weekly pre-prayer awareness talks and donor drives.
Talks with other Malay-Muslim organisations such as Mendaki and AMP are in the pipeline.
The campaign is expected to end in September 2010.
Jane C Prior, president, Bone Marrow Donor Programme, said: "In our collaboration with MUIS and through the mosques, I am very confident that we can reach out to people because when they understand what it means, they will be more willing to come forward. It's getting the understanding and education out there." - CNA/vm
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