The Ministry of Health has appointed Cathalijne Dortmans from Someren as ambassador for Q fever patients. After three hard reports from the National Ombudsman, her appointment follows the years of neglect of patients by the government. Dortmans must put their interests on the agenda nationwide.
“As far as I am concerned, the abuses are similar to the allowance scandal and gas extraction in Groningen,” says Dortmans. “Q fever patients finally deserve recognition and perspective.”
Thousands of people from Brabant sick
During the Q fever epidemic between 2007 and 2010, an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people were infected with the bacterium, especially in Brabant. Thousands of people have been struggling with the chronic Q fever fatigue syndrome since then. This is accompanied by extreme exhaustion, migraine, pain complaints and periods in which patients are glued to bed.
On average, patients stop working fully eight years after contamination, according to research from the Erasmus MC. Yet they often receive no disability benefits because the UWV does not recognize their illness. Many families have therefore ended up in financial and social problems.
Years of silence government
According to National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen, who helps people with government institutions problems, the government has traced the severity of the epidemic for years. In the early years, the Balkenende cabinet stopped how great the danger was, while the bacterium was spread through the air via goat manure. Only years later goats were eliminated when thousands of people were already sick.
Apologies or recognition never came. Previous reports from the Ombudsman disappeared in a drawer in 2012 and 2017. The third report, issued last year to ‘prevent oblivion’, has now led to the appointment of ambassador Cathalijne Dortmans.
Familiar with Brabant problems
Dortmans was born and raised in Someren and was an alderman in Helmond for six years. During the Q fever epidemic she worked as a clerk of the Chamber Committee for Agriculture. “I know how big the impact has been here. My first step is talking to patients: what do they need the most?”
She cannot impose measures such as the UWV, but wants to enforce change through its network in politics and administration. She also wants to tackle inequality between municipalities: in some places patients receive good support, in others not at all.
The Ombudsman calls the appointment a good start, but finds apologies from the cabinet crucial. “That is the starting point of recognition,” says Van Zutphen. “And that is what these people really need.”
Still no Brabant clinic
In the meantime, the call for better care sounds in Brabant. Deputy Saskia Boelema (D66) and King’s Commissioner Ina Adema believe that there should be a special Q fever clinic in our province. Almost twenty years after the outbreak, at least 1500 people with serious complaints still have, often too sick to travel to specialized centers in other places in the country.
The fact that such a center in Brabant has never got off the ground is stuck in the provincial government. Bernhoven in Uden, in the middle of the heaviest area, was seen as an ideal place. Nevertheless, the Hague money went to other hospitals.