The government should not focus solely on corona, but also keep an eye on the health problems of other groups of people during the corona crisis. General practitioner Felix van der Wissel argues for this on Tuesday Heart of the Netherlands.
Follow the latest news about the corona virus in the Netherlands through us liveblog
The Amersfoort GP responds to the press moment of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health. “There are a lot of people who do not receive the care they need, because we focus everything on corona,” says Van der Wissel.
Hospitals full every autumn
He warns against more hospital admissions, as a result of other viruses that will lead to a spike in the number of infections this autumn. “We get cold viruses, we will soon get the flu. That peak is still coming. We didn’t have that in the summer and in the spring. And that also ensures hospital admissions. “
Also read: Hospitals worried about flu season: ‘The pressure is extra high this year’
Van der Wissel has been seeing hospitals fill up in the autumn for years and as a general practitioner therefore has problems referring his patients. “That means that the entire government policy of recent years has ensured that this care has not actually received the attention it deserves.”
“And now we have to take care of all my colleagues who cannot handle it at once, but that is a political choice,” says the doctor. He now expects a clear vision from the cabinet about how everyone who needs care during the corona crisis can actually receive that care. “It should not be the case that someone with corona gets more attention than my patient with cancer.”
‘Put the danger of coronavirus into perspective’
The government must also put the danger of the corona virus into perspective, says Van der Wissel. “When the whole epidemic started, we didn’t know about anything. At the time, it was expected that of all people who would get corona, 3 percent would die. ”
The mortality rate has since been adjusted to approximately 0.25 percent, according to the GP. “That means it is at the level of a serious flu. And for that we have to take all these measures ”, he wonders.
Also read: Will we be skipping the flu epidemic this year due to corona?
As a result of the corona crisis, Van der Wissel sees more and more patients appear in his practice with depressive or even suicidal complaints. “I think that’s serious and I don’t get enough of that for the stage.” It is only about corona and no longer about society as a whole, he says. “It would be very nice if we could get clarity, also about matters like this.”
– .
