Public healthcare in the Netherlands is insufficiently prepared for a new health crisis such as a pandemic. André Rouvoet, chairman of the umbrella organization GGD GHOR Nederland, warns about this in an interview with the NOS.
He is particularly concerned about the shortage of doctors who specialize in infectious diseases. “There are real holes there and we should not invest a little there, but very substantially and very structurally. The number of these doctors must at least double in order to be prepared for the next pandemic,” says Rouvoet. He wants 600 million euros a year to get that basis back in order.
The requested amount of money is not yet forthcoming, but the cabinet is allocating 300 million euros per year for so-called “pandemic preparedness”. “I am afraid that a lot of that money will go to setting up a crisis organization and little will be left for public health. I make an urgent appeal to parliament, that really has to change,” says Rouvoet.
‘Financially stripped’
Expert Henk Bekedam, who as a former director of the World Health Organization (WHO) was involved for many years in strengthening pandemic preparedness in various countries, also tells NOS that he is concerned about the Netherlands.
“I now hear the government talking about a long-term plan for corona, but above all there has to be a plan for the next outbreak, whatever it is. With such a preparedness plan you have to look at the lessons learned from the most recent outbreak, such an evaluation has not yet been carried out in the Netherlands,” says Bekedam.
Bekedam considers strengthening the GGDs crucial. “The discussion in the Netherlands is often about IC beds, but let’s not forget that it is the GGDs that test and administer by far the most vaccinations. There is just far too little attention to public health. The GGDs have been financially depressed in recent years. stripped.”
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