Several opposition parties in the House of Representatives are very concerned about the power of the German company B. Braun, which owns ExpertCare. The multinational decided at the beginning of this year to close four care villas, including one in Waalre. As a result, eighty children who need highly specialized care lose that help.
Healthcare provider ExpertCare announced in January that the villas in Waalre, Rijswijk, Wezep and Vleuten will have to close their doors. The main reason is that health insurers do not cover all costs. According to the company, this cannot be sustained in the long term. It is also difficult to find sufficient staff.
A few times a year
Children stay in the villa from a day to a few nights at a time, which relieves the burden on parents. Responsible healthcare minister Mirjam Sterk (CDA) heard from the management of ExpertCare that there are staff in the care villas in Waalre, Rijswijk, Wezep and Vleuten until at least June 30.
Lisa Westerveld of GroenLinks-PvdA (soon to be PRO) explained to the minister that parents received an email on Thursday stating that it is not certain whether the villas can remain open in May. Sterk did not know that message and was surprised. She said she would discuss the email with ExpertCare management next week. According to Westerveld, this is too late, because the parents are now stressed again that the villas will close in May.
According to Mirjam Bikker (Christian Union), ‘the company bakes sweet cakes with a different reality’. Sterk agreed. “This is not the way you deal with vulnerable children, but that is something to find out later,” she said during an emergency debate about the care villas.
‘Trouble’
“What owner B. Braun is doing shows what kind of misery an owner can cause,” Bikker said. “Can B. Braun be held responsible? If not, what on earth is such a multinational doing in our healthcare?” SP MP Sarah Dobbe asked Sterk. GroenLinks-PvdA, JA21 and PVV joined in with similar concerns.
All parties present agreed that the minister must quickly arrange for the continued care of the children. This can be done by taking over the four villas or by moving the clients to other locations. A large majority of the House believes that Sterk should take responsibility in this.
Sterk wrote in a letter to the House on Wednesday that health insurers are currently in discussions with takeover candidates and that she can therefore say little about this. According to Ingrid Coenradie (JA21), the minister only took action ‘when the pressure became maximum’.
