Great need for extra plasma in 2024: Ministers Vandenbroucke and Crevits together call for plasma donation
Ministers Frank Vandenbroucke and Hilde Crevits, responsible for public health at the federal and Flemish levels respectively, are together making a much-needed appeal: come and donate plasma en masse this year. After all, the demand for plasma has been rising for years and will continue to rise for years to come. Thus, both this year and in 2025 about 5 percent extra plasma must be collected in Flanders. After all, with this yellow liquid, which is in your blood, you can save many different patients' lives. However, plasma donation is not yet as well known to the Flemish people as blood donation. This although it is at least as important, says Belgian Red Cross-Flanders, which is urgently looking for additional plasma donors.
Plasma is the yellow liquid found in your blood, which contains all kinds of proteins, sugars, fats, salts, hormones and vitamins. It is used both to give directly to patients - for example, in people with clotting disorders or very severe burns - as well as to produce a lot of life-saving medication. For example, that medication is much needed for patients with hemophilia or certain immune diseases.
But for the collection of all that plasma, we face a challenge: the number of donors in Flanders and Brussels must in fact increase substantially this year. Specifically, Belgian Red Cross-Flanders needs to collect about 5 percent more plasma than in 2023 - or about an additional 7,500 liters.
"The demand for plasma has been rising for years and is going to continue to do so for a long time. Moreover, we want our country to be as independent as possible from plasma from abroad in this, to ensure the affordability and supply of life-saving plasma-based medication. So we have set targets: in 2024 and 2025 we must collect an additional 5 percent of plasma each time. This is precisely why Belgian Red Cross-Flanders is urgently looking for many additional donors. Not only for now, but also for the coming years." Frank Vandenbroucke - Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health
When you donate, you give an average of 650 milliliters of plasma and you are allowed to do that every two weeks. This is much more frequent than giving blood, which is allowed only four times a year. When you donate blood, some of the plasma is also taken from it, but that involves smaller quantities, an average of 290 milliliters. And although plasma donation is much less known to the Flemish people than giving blood, it is at least as important.
"Also with plasma you save human lives, you should never forget that. However, we notice that the Fleming is little aware of this. This may have to do with the fact that everyone knows what blood is, but the average Fleming knows very little about the usefulness of plasma. That's why we really want to emphasize: very many patients - think of people with immune disorders, for example - desperately need it. For them it really is life-saving medication. As Flemings we can be rightly proud of our system of voluntary donation, with which we help all these people. Because that is real solidarity: giving for another." Hilde Crevits - Flemish Minister of Welfare, Public Health and Family
Donation Target
Belgian Red Cross-Flanders is also launching a new campaign during this first month of the year: the Donate Goal.
"With the Donation Goal, we are asking the Fleming at the start of this new year to also immediately set a goal - as a kind of good intention - for the number of times they want to donate plasma or blood. In other words, the number of times they want to perform a life-saving act. And then throughout the year we provide the necessary reminders and motivational words." Philippe Vandekerckhove - Chief executive officer, CEO Belgian Red Cross-Flanders
Both new donors and existing donors can donate plasma at one of Belgian Red Cross-Flanders's 14 donor centers. The procedure is very simple: go to rodekruis.be/plasma, check the location and time that suits you best and make an appointment. Or make an appointment by calling the toll-free number 0800 777 00.
How plasma saves lives can be read in Evi's testimony. Her son depends on plasma to stay healthy.