Sky-high absenteeism affects healthcare: waiting lists are not getting shorter | Health

In 2019, about 0.6% of hospital staff was still ill for a long time; then one should think of between 92 and 730 days of illness. That percentage is now 3.5%. An increase in long-term absenteeism is also seen in nursing homes. This was 3.5% in 2019 and is now just short of 5%.

Due to absenteeism, the number of people waiting for treatment in a hospital in April is comparable to March. “We estimate that the number of extra people waiting due to corona is 100,000 to 120,000,” says the NZa’s Accessibility monitor. Critically plannable care – which must be completed within six weeks – is carried out by 95% of hospitals; that too has not changed since March in April.

Solutions

The NZa expects hospitals with long waiting lists to find solutions to shorten these waiting lists. “For example, by collaborating with hospitals or independent clinics in the region that have more space or by optimizing the distribution of OR capacity. Health insurers must make (financial) agreements with health care providers that encourage this. Patients who are waiting for care can also request the help of their health insurer to see if there is a faster place elsewhere (care mediation).

The monitor also shows that treatments for varicose veins and state are back to pre-pandemic levels (2019), but that breast reductions and lifts, umbilical hernias and screw removal still have a long waiting list.

Independent clinics saw about as many patients in the first months of 2022 as in 2021. This is 30% more than in 2019. Three hospitals cannot fully deliver critical planable care within the standard of six weeks. This does not currently lead to bottlenecks, because other care providers can take over this care.