Six children who went abroad for bone marrow transplants have returned to the Maldives.

In a post on X today, the Maldivian Blood Service said that six children who had gone abroad for transplants with their assistance have now returned to the Maldives. They also stated that this is evidence of the ongoing work to improve assistance for children with thalassemia.

An official from the Health Ministry told "One" today that there are currently seven children abroad for bone marrow transplants, and three of them will return to the Maldives next month after their treatment. The remaining four children are still undergoing treatment.

A bone marrow transplant is an operation to replace stem cells that produce blood cells in human bones. This operation is done to ensure that the blood cells produced in the body are healthy cells.

Providing free bone marrow transplants for thalassemia children is one of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's presidential pledges.

Under this pledge, the government signed an agreement last February to send a total of ten children for bone marrow transplants with government assistance each year for the next five years. This agreement is between the Islamic Ministry and the Health Ministry to provide assistance from the Zakat Fund for bone marrow transplants for underprivileged thalassemia children.