Red Cross Flanders uses pharmacy signs to promote blood donation
Twenty pharmacies in Flanders will soon display the region's current blood supply. This is an initiative of Red Cross Flanders to raise awareness about blood donation. By the end of the year, more than a hundred pharmacy crosses will display this information.
"We are always looking for new blood donors," says Vincent Verbeecke, spokesman for Red Cross Flanders. "We have a natural turnover rate, so there is always a need for new people to donate blood. Three percent of Flemings donate blood today, which is very good, but sometimes we need more. The intention is to make this very visible to the man and woman on the street."
"Three percent of Flemings donate blood today, which is very good, but sometimes we need more"
That is why Red Cross Flanders has started a collaboration with Pharmes, the market leader in LED signs for pharmacies. The company supplies around 120 new LED signs to pharmacies every year.
"With this innovation, we want to give pharmacists the opportunity to play a visible social role," says managing Director Mathieu Dejager. "Of course, it is up to them to decide whether they want to use this feature, but we are already receiving many positive reactions and concrete questions from pharmacists who want to participate."
From April, twenty crosses will display the current blood supply in Flanders, based on real-time data from the Flanders Red Cross. By the end of the year, this number should increase to more than a hundred.
Weeks of shortages
Flanders has short periods of specific blood shortages. In 2024, there were 18 days when the supply of at least one blood group reached a critical level. This always happened after vacation periods or holidays, when many people travel. People travelling outside Europe are not allowed to donate for between one and six months.
A critical blood supply level means that deliveries to hospitals are restricted, potentially delaying non-urgent operations. However, urgent care is almost always guaranteed.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO/VIDEO MAARTEN WEYNANTS
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