Brussels (Brussels (Morning Newspaper) – Red Cross Flanders, in partnership with Pharmes, is placing signs at pharmacies to show blood availability. Over 100 pharmacies will participate by year-end, addressing shortages, especially for negative blood types.
Red Cross Flanders is working with Pharmes, a company that makes signs for pharmacies, to show how much blood is available in Flanders. The signs will be on the green crosses outside pharmacies, which usually show the time, temperature, and date. Now, they will also show how much blood is available, based on information from Red Cross Flanders.
According to officials, this project began this month and is a reminder that donating blood is needed, especially at times when not enough blood has been donated. They said this is meant to inform people on when there’s an urgent need for blood donation because sometimes it’s not there.
How can pharmacies help boost blood donations in Flanders?
By the end of the year, over 100 pharmacies will have signs that show how much blood is available in Flanders. This project started with 20 pharmacies, and more will be added throughout the year. Not all pharmacies with LED signs will have this feature, only the ones that want to participate.
“With this innovation, we want to allow pharmacists to play a visible social role,”
Says Mathieu Dejager of Pharmes.
“Of course, they decide for themselves to activate the function, but we are already receiving many positive reactions and specific questions from pharmacists who want to participate.”
Red Cross Flanders wishes to remind individuals of the necessity for blood donation. They wish to ensure that individuals are aware that blood donations are essential because 70% of individuals in Flanders will require blood or plasma at some time in their lifetime.
Officials mentioned that sometimes, there is not enough blood, especially for certain blood types. This project is part of a bigger plan to make sure that people donate blood regularly because the need for blood and plasma changes all the time.
“People with a negative blood group can donate to someone with a positive blood group of the same type, but the other way around is not possible,”
Says Vincent Verbeecke of the Red Cross Flanders.
In 2024, there were 18 days when Flanders didn’t have enough blood for at least one blood type. According to the officials, this usually happens with negative blood types because people need them more often. It’s especially hard to get enough blood during holidays because people are away on vacation.
They also stated that individuals who travel outside Europe are not able to give blood for a period of one to 6 months after returning, which worsens the problem. They need to wait in order to ensure that they have not caught any disease.
Officials said that it’s important to have enough blood all year round, even when it’s harder to get donations. This is because people need blood all the time, and we need to make sure that there is enough for everyone.
