ANPParticipants of the protest march towards the Zuyderland hospital today
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 22:29
There are major concerns in Southeast Limburg about a plan by the Zuyderland Hospital. This aims to transform the location in Heerlen into a day treatment center. This would mean that all emergency care, including emergency care and maternity care, would be moved to Sittard-Geleen, about 20 kilometers away. This afternoon there was a protest march by opponents.
Those opponents of the plans have already collected more than 30,000 signatures and want a full-fledged hospital to be retained for Heerlen. But according to chairman of the board David Jongen, it is impossible to keep both the emergency departments in Sittard-Geleen and Heerlen open.
The main reason for this is the staff shortage, says Jongen. “We bring nurses from the Philippines, we try to bring as many doctors here as possible. But we now have six vacancies for emergency physicians. This means that the quality of care is already under pressure.”
The problems that Jongen outlines do not only occur in Heerlen. In recent years there have been several (partial) closures of emergency departments due to staff shortages or financial problems.
Emergency care is under pressure
The Gelre hospital in Zutphen closed its maternity ward more quickly in April. As of September 1, the emergency department will only be open during office hours. Outside of that, those in need of care must go to the branch in Apeldoorn or to the hospitals in Deventer, Doetinchem or Arnhem.
Two hospitals in Friesland will eventually close: the Antonius in Sneek and the Tjongerschans in Heerenveen. There will be one new hospital in return, in Joure. The other two hospitals in Friesland – in Leeuwarden and Drachten – will remain open.
Emergency care in Drenthe is also under great pressure and hospitals have to do more to collaborate.
The LangeLand Hospital in Zoetermeer has been called HagaZiekenhuis Zoetermeer since June 1 after a merger with the Hague hospital group. Money problems play a role and last year the emergency department was closed three days a week.
During a debate with Minister Kuipers in June, part of the House of Representatives expressed concern about this. In response, the minister indicated that hospitals may not simply close departments and that he sets requirements for the availability of emergency care in a region. Yet the concerns in Heerlen are great.
Both residents and politicians were present at the protest march in Heerlen:
Protest march against closure of emergency care in Heerlen: ‘People will avoid care’
After the mining industry closed in the 1960s and 1970s, Heerlen and surrounding municipalities fell into a major poverty trap. This not only led to social problems, but also to greatly deteriorated health. Residents in the Parkstad region, in Southeast Limburg, have the lowest life expectancy from The Netherlands. There are also an above-average number of premature births and people with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and asthma.
Longer arrival times
This means that closing the emergency department is indeed a risk, says Ron Winkens. He is medical head at Maastricht UMC and former general practitioner in Heerlen. “I think the arrival times are really reasonable. Many people do not come to the emergency room by ambulance, but on their own. In some places the arrival time is half an hour. If you have a heart attack, that is a really long distance.”
A woman who took part in the protest march also noted that many elderly people live in Heerlen. “Then we will have to go to Maastricht, Aachen or Sittard, but if at some point you are no longer mobile, then I think you still have a problem.”
Winkens, who also participated in the demonstration today, also fears that the pressure on general practitioners in the region will increase if the hospital continues with the plans. “There is a threat of an exodus of general practitioners in the coming years due to an aging population. This while the demand for care will only increase. I don’t know how general practitioners will do that.” According to Winkens, the distance between general practitioner posts and the emergency department is also becoming too great.
The board of the Zuyderland Hospital emphasizes that there has not yet been a final decision. The management wants to talk to the residents of Heerlen in the near future.
2023-09-23 20:29:01
#Concerns #Limburg #proposed #closure #emergency #care #Heerlen
