Nordic neighbours plan to share blood supplies
Norway, Sweden and Finland are working to secure blood supplies across the northern Nordic region during crises and war. Different national rules make it difficult to share blood across borders.
A new Nordic project aims to make mutual assistance easier, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported on 27 October.
Different rules complicate assistance
Henrik Brännholm, a medical preparedness specialist in Sweden’s Norrbotten region, describes the project as a high priority.
He says the region can produce enough blood for routine healthcare, but demand could rise substantially during heightened readiness or war. Assistance from neighbouring countries could then become necessary.
Differences in national regulations and procedures currently make such exchanges difficult, according to Brännholm.
Making mutual support possible
Sweden has participated in the Nordic health preparedness agreement since 2003. However, a common arrangement for exchanging blood has been missing, SVT reports.
The project aims to enable neighbouring regions to help when local blood supplies cannot meet demand. The report gives no completion date for the shared arrangement.
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