Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – ZAS Hospital in Antwerp is offering patients free access to over 1,750 comic albums via smartphone, aiming to boost comfort and hygiene during their stay.
The STRIPS.BE app can be used to read comics over the hospital’s Wi-Fi network. More than 1,750 CDs of 50 comic series are being made available in collaboration with Standaard Uitgeverij.
“With this extensive range of comics, we provide distraction and relaxation,”
Says CEO of ZAS Willeke Dijkhoffz.
From Camille and FC De Kampioenen to Guust Flater and De Kiekeboes in Antwerp, Belgium. There is something for everyone, and eighteen more series are planned.
All ZAS schools offer digital versions of the strips, and using the app doesn’t require any registration or personal information.
“The fact that we offer the strips digitally is also better for hygiene. Because you use your own device, you cannot pass on bacteria or viruses via paper strips in the waiting room,”
Dijkhoffz explains.
Both young and old can enjoy the digital comic collection’s many genres and well-known titles. The fact that there are issues to read that are no longer available on print, however, is what really sets it apart.
“The comics also make waiting for an appointment a bit more pleasant,”
Says Dijkhoffz.
More than 400,000 albums—or 150 million images—have already been read by the STRIPS.BE app in its one year of existence. It costs 6.99 euros a month for anyone who wishes to read the comics outside of the ZAS.
“If this test turns out positive, we can hopefully expand this to other hospitals and locations,”
Says Walter De Roeck, director of IT & Innovation at Standaard Uitgeverij.
What are the key points of the initiative?
Offering comics to patients is more than just amusement, according to CEO Willeke Dijkhoffz, who also highlights that it can help patients’ mental health by lowering stress, anxiety, and the sense of loneliness that can accompany hospitalization.
Through the use of personal gadgets or tablets provided by the hospital, patients can easily read the comic albums from their hospital beds thanks to their digital accessibility.
The partnership with renowned Belgian publisher Standaard Uitgeverij guarantees a varied and excellent collection, which includes well-known series like Suske en Wiske, Jommeke, and De Kiekeboes.
ZAS shows its dedication to holistic treatment by offering this service, acknowledging that healing is not just physical but also emotional and psychological.
