Eindhoven and other municipalities in the region must free up more money for care. If not, the quality of care will deteriorate and waiting lists will grow.
That is the message of at least ten care providers in the region, led by Zorgmed and Futuris. The institutions provide home care and maternity care, among other things. Together they have sent an urgent letter to regional municipalities.
Increased costs
Eindhoven, as the largest municipality, has reserved more than five percent more budget for the coming year to compensate for increased costs and wages. However, according to the healthcare institutions, this is far too little. They argue for a minimum increase of ten to twelve percent.
‘Bitter necessity’
According to the organisations, healthcare is under pressure. The work pressure is considerable and the demands are high, they write. In addition, administrative burdens and salaries are rising and it is sometimes difficult to find staff. “Organisations are struggling to keep operations healthy. To be a safety net for residents, a substantial increase in fees is a dire necessity. If rates do not increase sufficiently, the quality of care will decrease and waiting lists will increase,” says the regional care providers.
Political action
Eindhoven City Council will discuss the budget at the end of this month and early next month. At that time, city politics could still make adjustments to the rates. Earlier, Alderperson Maes of Finance indicated that healthcare costs have already risen considerably. The cultural sector also sounded the alarm and came up with a similar demand.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Chaitali Sengupta.
