The more than 300 hospitals in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia can contribute on a large scale to eliminate the long waiting lists in the Netherlands. So says Alex Friedrich, the chairman of the board of the academic hospital in Münster – where Dutch patients have been treated before.
The offer comes shortly after the umpteenth gloomy figures in the monthly Monitor Accessibility of Care of the Dutch Healthcare Authority. The waiting lists are not decreasing. In April, 100,000 to 120,000 patients had been waiting for surgery for months. That hasn’t changed since then.
According to the Groningen professor of Health Economics Jochen Mierau, Dutch healthcare no longer satisfies the statutory duty of care.
Waiting time in Germany is a few weeks
A quick solution from the own healthcare sector is not in sight. According to the NZa, absenteeism due to illness among healthcare staff is still very high. This is on top of the structural staff shortage.
At the beginning of this year, Ad Melkert, chairman of the Dutch Association of Hospitals, told the trade magazine Skipr that the catch-up care will not be eliminated this year. “A significant part will not take place until next year. Then I will outline the favorable scenario: that there will be no new large wave of contamination after omikron.”
Friedrich, who worked for years as a professor and medical microbiologist in the Netherlands, sees opportunities to help. According to him, this is feasible in terms of care capacity. North Rhine-Westphalia, which borders the Netherlands, has about as many inhabitants as the Netherlands, but many more hospitals.
“Where the Netherlands has about 90 hospitals, we have 330. With us too, patients now have to wait because of the pandemic. But that is only a few weeks to months or longer in the Netherlands. If the Dutch are also scheduled on a significant scale, the German patients may have to wait three to four weeks, which is acceptable for many conditions.”
Masterplan
He argues that the Dutch government should conclude a multi-year agreement with North Rhine-Westphalia to jointly tackle the Dutch waiting lists on a large scale.
“Such an agreement is necessary if such a master plan is to be a success. After all, in principle our beds are already full with our own patients. But if German hospitals can expect a large number of Dutch patients on an annual basis, we will include them in our annual planning. Because then it pays to make room.”
However, the Ministry of Health (VWS) is not very enthusiastic.
Complicated
“It is not that simple. If you are operated on in Germany, you still have to receive aftercare in the Netherlands. It is not said that it is available,” says VWS spokesman Joeke Kootstra. “I would also like to point out that health insurers in the border region already have patients in our neighboring countries help through care mediation.”
Friedrich confirms that Dutch health insurers are already contracting healthcare across the border. “But that happens on a small scale because our beds are already full and there are only occasional places. This does not reduce extremely long waiting times. If our governments make cross-border healthcare policy, German hospitals know that many Dutch patients are guaranteed to come. Then you can make great strides.”
According to Kootstra, treatment abroad is not an appropriate option for a large part of the patients. That is why she does not see a large-scale plan as a good solution. “Consider, for example, the aftercare that patients need. There must either be capacity in the Netherlands for this, or a patient must travel abroad for all follow-up appointments. There are also many patients who do not want to be helped abroad, for example because of a long-term treatment relationship. with a doctor in the Netherlands.”
The Patient Federation announces that it shares the comment of VWS. At the same time, research into this plan wouldn’t hurt. There will undoubtedly be patients who do want to have the choice to be treated elsewhere if the waiting lists do not disappear.
‘Own doctor remains involved’
“It is also not the intention that we pass the Dutch doctors,” says Friedrich. “A Dutch-German care path must be created in which the patient is guided by his own doctor.”
It is precisely because of the comments of the ministry that it is important, according to Friedrich, that the Netherlands and North Rhine-Westphalia work towards an agreement for large-scale cross-border care. Solutions for issues such as aftercare can be negotiated through such an agreement, according to Friedrich.
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