Health
Netherlands install free sunscreen dispensers
A dispenser with free sunscreen on a beach in the Netherlands. photo
© Anp Dingena Mol/ANP/dpa
What can be done with the disinfectant dispensers set up during the corona pandemic? A dermatologist had a good idea.
In the Netherlands, people can get sunscreen for free in hundreds of places this summer. This was already the case this weekend at a festival and in the city park of the city of Breda, as reported by the public broadcaster NOS. Sunscreen dispensers are placed at festivals, schools, sports clubs and communities so that everyone can protect themselves from the sun. The Venlo-Venray hospital, not far from the German border, supplies 120 primary schools with sunscreen dispensers together with a health insurance company and several municipalities.
The clinic’s dermatologist had come up with the idea of using the disinfectant dispensers set up during the corona pandemic for sunscreen, the clinic spokeswoman told the NOS. Skin cancer in particular is currently on the rise in the Netherlands. Creaming is the best protection and it is important that children get used to it.
The company Sundo has specialized in setting up sunscreen dispensers in the Netherlands and Belgium. Founder Ybe Heemskerk came up with the idea with a friend two years ago while sitting in the sun. “My father has had skin cancer a number of times, so I think it’s very important to prevent this disease,” said Heemskerk.
“It costs money, a few thousand euros, but we think the health of our residents and visitors is very important,” said City Councilor Jacco Knape from the seaside resort of Katwijk on the North Sea to the NOS. “We see people enjoying the sun without protection, and in Katwijk that’s more than average, and that’s not good.”