Eindhoven, Jan. 18, 2023 - One in four people will someday need donor blood to heal or even stay alive. Due to the aging of the group of blood donors, a shortage is looming. Philips and PSV are therefore joining forces to seek blood donors in the region for blood bank Sanquin.
Sylvia van Es (President Philips Netherlands) and Marcel Brands (General Director PSV) kicked off the campaign today in the center of Eindhoven. They symbolically underwent a blood group test at the mobile collection site; the first step to becoming blood or plasma donors, under the guidance of Daphne Thijssen-Timmer (Director Blood Bank Sanquin) and Ivo van Schaik (CEO Sanquin Blood Supply).
Saving lives
"Countless patients in the Netherlands need blood, for example during cancer treatment or after a traffic accident. The demand for blood and medicines prepared from these donations is also increasing. Patients rely on these drugs to make their lives more bearable or even save them," says Daphne Thijssen-Timmer, Sanquin's Blood Bank Director. "This is why it is so important to find more donors willing to donate plasma or blood. Thanks to this special effort by Philips and PSV, we hope to find more people willing to become donors. They will gain insight into their own health in return, thanks to our blood safety checks."
Social responsibility
Sylvia van Es, President Philips Netherlands, thinks it is important that Philips also takes its social responsibility: "We have had a partnership with Sanquin for some time now, where we call on our employees to donate blood during working hours. That suits our health technology company with roots in Eindhoven. Because of the approaching shortage of donors, we are now, together with PSV, expanding the search for new donors throughout the region. In this way we are making even more impact together."
Football-wide impact
Marcel Brands, general manager of PSV, is proud of the joint initiative: "PSV and Philips are inextricably linked. Together we would like to make a football-transcending impact in the region. That is the strength of our cooperation. It is special to see that subsequently many acquaintances are rallying behind our initiative and have committed themselves to this campaign."
Online and offline campaign
The special recruitment campaign is largely visible online for three months. Well-known faces such as Guus Hiddink, John van den Heuvel, Ruud van Nistelrooij, Eveline Wu, Ronald Koeman, Luuk de Jong, Esmee Brugts and Jeroen Dijsselbloem are backing this social mission for more donors.
A truck will also be deployed, along with promotional teams from Sanquin and Philips employees. The truck will be seen regularly in the region and around PSV's home matches. On January 21, prior to PSV - Vitesse, fans can have a blood group test taken at the Philips Stadium. The truck will be present at at least two other home matches of PSV and will visit locations of Philips in Best and Drachten.
Click here for more information on the website of Philips