stop closure of smaller hospitals such as Bronovo

Stop the closure of smaller hospitals such as Bronovo Hospital in The Hague. A group of medical specialists and professors wrote this to the House of Representatives, media partner Omroep West reports. The group advocates planning outpatient treatment in such hospitals, for example. If the need arises, as now with corona, the hospitals can be prepared within a few days to serve as an ’emergency hospital’.

The group of medical specialists says that corona and its control show that we have to learn to live with a new reality. ‘That requires a different view of and approach to the organization of healthcare. Otherwise, the medical consequences and the economic costs are incalculable, ‘said the letter writers.

In the short term, the group mainly sees work to be done around covid-19, but according to the specialists there are already other viruses eager to emerge and cause a new pandemic. ‘The pandemics will appear in our society at an increasingly rapid pace. Helped by a globalizing world in which mobility continues to increase. ‘

The ‘short term’

In the short term, they think it will be possible to have sufficient protective clothing, breathing machines and extra beds for the dreaded ‘second wave’. With regard to these beds, the group advocates designating one or two hospitals per region as ’emergency hospital’. This makes the separation between corona patients and people who need other care easier.

The number of beds needed can probably be arranged, but it remains difficult for staff to stand at the bedside. The specialists calculate in the letter that there is a shortage of about 1,400 specialized IC nurses. There is also a shortage of support staff. ‘Given the time available towards a possible next outbreak (end of this year) it will be a lot of improvisation again’, the letter says.

Supplementary life insurance

The group advocates a higher salary for those at the bedside. But according to the experts, it is not just about more salary: ‘In that context, one could consider a hazard surcharge for staff working with infected patients around covid-19. Or additional life insurance. Incidentally, that also applies emphatically to nursing and carers in nursing homes. ‘

In order to get the number of IC nurses up to standard, the training courses should be modernized and much more work should be done with virtual reality, so that more people can be trained. In addition, the group believes that everyone who has stopped working as an IC nurse should be approached again. The specialists argue for a kind of reserve pool. When the need arises, the reservists can be called up to work with a zero-hour contract.

Dancing on a volcano

The specialists warn the MPs that the corona crisis is far from over. ‘Anyone who looks at daily reality (…) can only conclude that through the relaxation of the rules and the protests against the lockdown measures, we are dancing on a volcano,’ the letter states. According to them, it is now up to politicians to ‘take the right measures and, above all, avoid the wrong measures.’

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