Two of the five children sent abroad for bone marrow transplantation have undergone successful surgery, Health Minister Abdullah Khaleel has revealed.

Speaking at a function held on the occasion of Thalassemia Day yesterday, Minister Khaleel said two children who underwent successful bone marrow transplants have been discharged from the hospital. The two children are now in accommodation for further observation.

The remaining three children will be undergo the transplant in the near future, he said.

Khaleel further said that the government has decided to send 10 children abroad for bone marrow transplantation this year. The first five children will be sent abroad in the middle of this year and the other five children will be sent abroad later this year, he said.

In addition, Khaleel said that in the past, the bone marrow crossmatch test was very difficult to do in the Maldives. Previously, bone marrow matching tests were not done unless the donor and the patient went abroad, he said.

However, with the leadership of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, the test can be now done in the Maldives with the first bone marrow test being conducted on March 7 and 13 people having undergone the test.