Nordic Neighbors Plan to Share Blood Supplies in Wartime
A new collaboration between northern Sweden, Norway, and Finland aims to ensure that blood is always available during emergencies, such as crises or war.
“This project is one of the highest-priority preparedness initiatives currently underway in this region,” says Henrik Brännholm, senior physician for emergency preparedness in Region Norrbotten.
In the event of a crisis or war, access to blood is critical. That is why this Nordic blood supply project—conducted in cooperation with Norway and Finland—is designed to ensure that regions across the Nordkalotten (the northernmost parts of the Nordic countries) can support one another during an emergency.
“Here in Norrbotten, we are well prepared to produce enough blood to meet our own operational needs. However, in a state of heightened alert or war, we would need to significantly increase our blood production capacity—a situation where mutual assistance might become necessary,” Brännholm explains.
Exchange of Blood between Countries
Since 2003, Sweden has been a party to the Nordic Health Preparedness Agreement, which governs cooperation between the Nordic countries during crises or war. Until now, however, there has been no specific protocol for blood supply.
According to Brännholm, this is due to the difficulty of coordinating national protocols.
“The goal is to enable an exchange of blood between the countries. This is currently challenging, partly because the participating nations have different regulations and legislation.”
Source: SVT Nyheter (in Swedish)