Soldiers leaving for Lithuania, farmers protesting at the provincial government building in Assen and pharmacists sounding the alarm. Enough happened last week. In the Week van Drenthe you will receive an overview of the most important news of the past week.
On Monday, a group of soldiers from 43 Mechanized Brigade left Havelte for Lithuania. The army is there for a NATO mission. They are heading towards Eastern Europe to protect inhabitants against possible Russian aggression. As a NATO ally, the Netherlands has been part of the so-called Enhanced Forward Presence in Lithuania since 2017. The soldiers from Havelte have already participated, but last year it was the turn of the unit from Oirschot.
On Tuesday, a group of activist farmers went to the provincial house in Assen. They demonstrated against the government’s nitrogen policy. Farmers Jan and Piet from Groningen started a tour of all provinces last week to protest. Drenthe was eleventh. About 50 farmers attended. “We hope that a seed has been planted,” said the farmers.
Pharmacists once again sounded the alarm on Wednesday, because more and more medicines are running out. They expressed their concerns in an urgent letter to Minister Kuipers. “The problem is very big and is getting bigger,” says Paul Jansema of the Drentse Apothekers Coöperatie. “Last year we had to deal with a shortage of more than 1,500 medicines. That means that such a medicine will not be available for at least two weeks. And we are going to exceed that this year, that is the expectation.”
On Thursday it was announced that NAM wants to inject the waste water from oil extraction in Schoonebeek into an empty gas field near the village. According to the NAM, that is still the best option. The company states that wastewater injection is more environmentally friendly and less expensive than some of the other alternatives studied.
The Isala Hospital announced on Friday that the emergency department will be closed at night in February and March. There is a shortage of physician assistants in Meppel. Because it is usually not very busy at night, it has been decided to close the emergency room between 21:00 and 08:00. Patients who still have to go to the emergency department during those hours are in most cases dependent on the hospital in Zwolle. Isala expects to be fully open again in April.