How interesting to have the yellow sandwich box.
And that… it’s also intriguing.

Let’s start by saying that we think the yellow lunch box is a great initiative, which we would like to explain again for the uninitiated. The idea comes from Canada and means people over the age of 65, singles and vulnerable people can request a yellow lunchbox to keep their essential medical information in their fridge. In a case of emergency, emergency personnel always know where to look for their medical information. A first test in the Ledeberg near Ghent was extremely successful. People, especially singles, feel safer and virtually all participants would recommend the lunch box to others.

Once again: a great initiative that will be followed and that will undoubtedly save lives.

In the meantime, more than 85,000 boxes have already been distributed to various places in the country.

Jan Vekemans

Hard truth

And that brings us to the second half of the title statement of this blog. Because isn’t it particularly sad that in a country, which can be counted among the most prosperous in the world, this initiative is necessary? That this idea, despite its ingenuity and elegance, will save human lives, simply because there is no better alternative? It makes one think of the number of lives that will not be saved, because calamities do not always occur at home.

When, for example, a traffic victim uses blood thinners, this is crucial information during emergency surgery. But where does the surgeon get this information if the patient does not have his refrigerator with him? You can also reverse it: “How lucky I was to be home when I had my accident. It may sound like silly hints, but with a hard truth.”

The digital yellow box

What we have in mind with #1Patient1Record4Belgium is the yellow box in digital form: for all residents of Belgium a fixed and known place in the digital domain containing their complete and up-to-date medical data. And with full control over who can see that data and under what conditions. So when every second counts, authorized responders don’t have to search through your fridge, but can quickly identify vital information about your medication usage and allergies. Thanks to the initiative, it was possible to create a proof of concept with LBMG BV and Andaman7 and it shows how easy collaboration in the health ecosystem leads to solutions once you define what you want achieve.

But you can also help with the (following) solution(s) and help raise awareness.

Is it too much to ask? No isn’t it? So sign the petition and join our conversations!