Hospital director Marcel Levi not to speak about throwing away vaccines

General practitioners in the Netherlands have tens of thousands of AstraZeneca vaccines left. They want to send these vaccines to countries that desperately need them, but it’s not that easy. Hospital director Marcel Levi is not happy about throwing away the vaccines and the many rules that cause that.

The unused stock came about because not everyone in the age group 60 to 64 came to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, or some opted for the second shot of another vaccine. In total, the Netherlands has ordered 11.7 million doses of AstraZeneca. It is estimated that every general practice in the Netherlands has something to spare.

Jungle of rules

“It is not so much that RIVM has said that transport to Africa or Southeast Asia is complicated, but it is because of the rules. These rules mean that once a medication has been dispensed, for example to a general practitioner, you cannot take it back. A drug also includes a vaccine. This makes no sense,” Levi said in WNL Op Saturday on NPO Radio 1.

Levi is especially angry about the fact that no board stands up with the announcement that in this case the rules may be ‘broken’. “Those vaccines have been kept in top shape and the GPs have invested in them. Why then are there no brave ministers?”

The hospital administrator immediately indicates that there are no discussions with him about a possible ministerial position. “I have been a member of the PvdA for years, but there are no discussions – certainly not that I know of. It seems too early for that to me. Just get things in order.”

GPs do enough

When asked whether the GPs who want to send the AstraZeneca vaccines to poor countries at any cost could use some extra support from Levi, the doctor replied: “I think they are doing enough at the moment. There are doctors who actively seek out the media. If they need my help, I will definitely help them.”

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By: Editors

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