If you have a consultation hour with your GP (huisarts) on Friday, most probably that is not going to be possible. The appointments are most likely canceled. Many GP out-of-hours surgeries in Brabant will not take place and practices have limited accessibility. The doctors are protesting today in The Hague.
On Friday afternoon, family doctors are protesting on the Malieveld in The Hague against the extra tasks given to them. For example, the government and the health insurers have added more administrative tasks to their workload.
According to the National Association of Family Doctors, the demand for care is also increasing. There are long waiting lists at hospitals and in mental healthcare. As a result, patients often end up at their GP. The doctors say that they have less time per patient due to the increasing demand.
Limited accessibility
From the Oosterhout region, about 60 GPs from 38 practices are moving to The Hague. “In every practice, at least one general practitioner remains behind,” says director Daan Kerklaan of care group Zorroo Regio Oosterhout en Omstreken. “They run an emergency service and are therefore of limited availability for anything that cannot wait. The regular consultation hours will not take place.”
At a few practices, some consultation hours are going to continue in a limited form. “From noon callers will hear a tape explaining why the practice has limited availability,” says a doctor’s assistant at GP practice Dudok in Breda.
Together towards The Hague
Ellen Otte of PrimaCura Huisartsenzorg Midden-Brabant reports that the vast majority of practices in the region will participate in the protest on Friday. Eighty general practitioners will drive together to The Hague on Friday, according to her. “Only in case of emergency, the practice is accessible,” Otte says.
That is what the Foundation Health Centers Eindhoven also says. “The emergency line is available all day for matters that really can’t wait until Monday,” says Monique Hartings of the foundation. “It is not the intention that people call the emergency room for minor complaints.”
Source: omroepbrabant.nl
Translation: Chaitali Sengupta. She also gives online INBURGERING classes.
