Blood supply continuity and emergency preparedness in natural and man‐made disasters and in armed conflicts—The Nordic perspectives

Recent events have highlighted the urgent need for comprehensive blood preparedness plans at local, regional, national and cross-border levels within the Nordic countries. This article outlines the perspectives and strategies related to blood preparedness in Norway, Sweden and Finland, in the context of emergencies, disasters and armed conflicts. Norway, Sweden and Finland share long borders and similar geography, including vast rural areas with limited health care resources. Finland operates a centralized blood service, whereas Norway and Sweden maintain decentralized systems, with regional authorities responsible for their own blood supply. All three countries adhere to a total defence concept, wherein military forces depend on civilian transfusion services. In mass casualty events, the demand for transfusion services to provide urgent blood and blood components is expected to be high. Haemorrhage remains the leading cause of preventable prehospital death in trauma cases, and the availability of blood products in prehospital settings is critical in both civilian and military environments. Key priorities identified include: establishing stockpiles of shelf-stable blood products, developing surge capacity plans for rapid upscaling of blood collection and whole blood and component production, conducting joint training and exercises involving blood establishments, transfusion services, hospitals and military units, and collaboration in a pilot cross-border initiative-the Nordic Blood Preparedness Project-in northern Norway, Sweden and Finland, aimed at harmonizing regulations and procedures during emergencies. To effectively save lives during disasters and armed conflicts, it is essential to have well-documented and operational blood preparedness plans in place.