Apparently, residential care centers do not have much room to move. With fewer subsidies, either the daily rate must increase or the workforce must be reduced. If it depends on the residential care centers, neither will happen. “That’s why we say: “Madam Minister, what is the plan actually?” You cannot make a blunt saving without having a counter-proposal,” says Mario Eeckhout of WZC De Ruyschaert in Marke.
The healthcare sector has calculated that the savings will result in a loss of two full-time employees per residential care center with 150 residents. If this continues, a crisis in elderly care will be inevitable, say the residential care centers. The annual healthcare premium will be increased to 100 euros for everyone, but the extra money from the healthcare premium will not go to healthcare, according to the residential care centers. “That 136 million is simply saved in the policy of the Flemish government and that is unprecedented. It concerns solidarity resources that are transferred to other objectives,” Baeckelandt explains.