Vulnerable people in deprived neighborhoods are becoming even more vulnerable due to the corona crisis. Moreover, they often run into further problems, GPs who work in these neighborhoods report.
This is a group that often does not understand information about the virus and the measures. They also go to the doctor too late in the event of complaints, because they are afraid of becoming infected. Sometimes they don’t come out at all, causing their health to deteriorate even further.
This sometimes results in people getting the treatment they need too late. “A patient called recently. Her husband has diabetes and was confused, herself she was coughing very much. They are low literate and did not know how to make an appointment to be tested. They were also afraid that they might have to be in hospital. hospitalized, “says general practitioner Nienke de Graauw, who works in the Schilderswijk in The Hague.
“The man was in very bad shape and had to go to hospital immediately. Three days later he died.” They acted out of fear, says De Graauw. “If they had raised the alarm earlier, it might have turned out differently.”
No reluctance
Annemaaike Roeters is a general practitioner in the Zuilen district of Utrecht. She also sees that patients sometimes make the wrong decisions. “People come into our practice and tell us that they will soon have an appointment at the test street.” Yet it is not unwillingness, she says. “People are often ashamed when they don’t understand the information.”
The practice in which Roeters works has about 5,500 patients. “Most of them are familiar with the basic rules, but not everyone can always adhere to them.” Then they tell me that they have work where they cannot keep their distance, because for example they have to lift things together. “
More seriously ill
On the other side of Utrecht, in the Hoograven district, GP Barbara Benard has been working for twenty years. “We have a mixed patient file. Migrants, former asylum seekers, but also many newcomers. In total about 9,300 who are registered at our practice.”
She sees that especially people of non-Western descent become seriously ill from corona. “Six, seven people from my practice have been admitted to hospital, one of them died, fortunately two were able to return home quickly. They are all people of non-Western descent.”
Low ‘health skills’ play a role in this, says Benard. “They are bad at language and often call the practice too late. Then it is often not immediately clear how sick they already are.”
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