There is disappointment in the UMCG about the failure of the concentration of pediatric cardiac surgery. But the ruling contains plenty that Groningen can draw hope from, in case a decision is made again.
For almost a year, the UMCG, together with the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, could imagine itself as the winner of the tombola that became the dossier for the concentration of pediatric heart surgery. But the foundation underpinning the decision of the now departed Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health, Welfare and Sport) is flawed, the Central Netherlands court ruled on Thursday.
With the annulment of the concentration decision, the old situation applies again. This means that not only the UMCG and Erasmus MC can continue operating on heart patients, but that this also applies to the previous losers UMC Utrecht, LUMC in Leiden and Amsterdam UMC. Until a new decision is made about the future of pediatric heart surgery.
Concentration is necessary, but with us
The question is who should make this decision. The hospitals have previously proven that they cannot reach an agreement together. None of the centers is prepared to give up this super-specialized care. The departure of pediatric heart surgeons also affects transplants in children, fetal heart interventions, care for children with cancer, the pediatric ICU and indirectly many more departments. In short, the attitude of each of the UMCs is: concentration is necessary, but only with us.
To break the impasse, Hugo de Jonge, as then Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, first made the decision two years ago: Erasmus MC and UMC Utrecht. Last April, his successor Kuipers repeated this, but to the benefit of the UMCG and at the expense of Utrecht. Soon afterwards, the losing centers announced their decision to go to court, which ruled in their favor this week. Which brings us back to square one.
Two or three centers
Although? The ruling contains conclusions from which the UMCG can draw hope. These were also included in the report of the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa), which confirmed how important pediatric heart surgery is for the UMCG and healthcare in the entire North. “The court understands that the minister wants to maintain pediatric cardiac care in the Northern Netherlands because of its regional function, but at the same time, given the existing concerns, he should have investigated more carefully whether retaining three centers is better than two,” the court writes. the pronounciation.
After Kuipers’ slap on the fingers by the judge, it is not obvious that a new health minister will quickly want to make further progress in this file. After all, the NZa advised first coming up with an integrated plan for the future of the entire academic healthcare system. This plan may not be completed for years.
If a decision is ever made again, it seems logical – with the NZa’s impact analysis and the court’s understanding – that the UMCG will once again be in a good position as one of the two (or three) centers to be chosen. .