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Ministry of Health
Speeches

Speech by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health and the Environment and Water Resources, at Singapore Cord Blood Bank's 10th Anniversary Celebration, 16 October 2015

16 October 2015

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Professor Tan Ser Kiat,

Chairman of Singapore Cord Blood Bank,

Professor Ivy Ng,

Group Chief Executive Officer of SingHealth,

Distinguished Guests,


Introduction

1.            Good evening. It gives me great pleasure to join you here tonight to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Singapore Cord Blood Bank (SCBB).

Background

2.            In Singapore, about six patients are diagnosed with blood-related conditions daily.  Haematologists and Paediatricians have seen first-hand their patients succumbing to fatal blood related diseases.  Without donated cord blood, many of these patients would be unable to find a suitable stem cell unit for a life-saving transplantation due to their unique ethnic genotypes.

3.            Umbilical cord blood, which is routinely discarded after the birth of a baby, is a gift of life that can be collected and donated altruistically to help these patients.  It was this common vision of hope and the chance of a cure for patients with blood-related diseases that led to the establishment of SCBB, a public cord blood bank.

SCBB as a Public Cord Blood Bank

4.            The stem cell registries around the world store a disproportionately large number of Caucasian bone marrow and cord blood samples. Unlike in the US and Europe, where the majority of stem cells are from bone marrow donors, 60% to 85% of unrelated source of stem cells in Singapore are from cord blood.

5.            SCBB is well-positioned to provide ethnically diverse and high quality cord blood units for patients in Singapore and around the world.  In the past 10 years, over 178 patients have been given a new lease of life. Of these, 53% were facilitated in Singapore and 47% for Asians around the world.

6.            Within the first year of its operations, SCBB facilitated its first cord blood transplant for a child with Severe Combined Immune Disease (SCID).  Hoh Jun Gi, SCBB’s first beneficiary, is now a curious 10 year old with a keen interest in chemistry and space.  He aspires to be a scientist, to come up with inventions to benefit the world.

7.            Teng Hong Yi, another beneficiary of SCBB, is now an active teenager in secondary school who enjoys playing basketball and is preparing for his next phase of life.  Many of SCBB’s beneficiaries share similar stories.  Without a public cord blood inventory, many beneficiaries would not be with us today and would not be experiencing their new lease of life.

Internationally Recognised Cord Blood Bank

8.            Since its establishment, SCBB has attained international recognition and accreditation.  In 2006, SCBB was acknowledged by the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) as the fastest growing public cord blood bank in the world.

9.            The following year, SCBB became a full-fledged member of the National Marrow Donor programme (NMDP) in the United States, the hub of a global transplant network that connects more than 450 leading centres worldwide.  This allows SCBB to be connected to patients around the world searching for life-saving cord blood units to survive.

10.         SCBB had also attained accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP), AABB and FACT-NetCord for both related and unrelated donor cord blood collection, banking, and release for administration.  Currently, SCBB has over 11,000 high-quality clinical cord blood units in its public inventory, ready to be released for a life-saving transplant.

11.         All these would not have been possible without the support of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (OGs) as well as the hospitals which participate in the Cord Blood Donation Programme.  We honour the selfless acts from the OGs who educate and encourage expectant mothers to donate their babies’ cord blood.

12.         The cord blood needs to be collected immediately after the delivery of the baby; and this means that it could take place any time of the day, even in the wee hours of the morning or when their patients are waiting for them in their clinics.

13.         We thank the mothers for their gift of life.  Even as they celebrate their children’s birth, they are providing hope and the possibility of a longer life to someone else through their selfless act.   I hope that SCBB will find ways and means to encourage more expectant mothers to sign up for this meaningful and selfless act.

Conclusion

14.         With the rising incidence of blood cancer in Singapore, the need for a reliable resource of high quality blood stem cells is becoming more critical.  SCBB has met the need for ethnic diversity in cord blood inventory through altruistic donation from parents of the same ethnic community in the last 10 years.  I am pleased that SCBB is stepping up its efforts to ensure continued ethnic diversity in its cord blood inventory.

15.         I congratulate SCBB on its 10th anniversary.  I am confident that with the support from advocates like you, SCBB can progress to do more for our community.  I wish all of you a pleasant and enjoyable evening.