The final hearings of the parliamentary corona inquiry committee are scheduled for this Friday, which will deal with the impact of the virus (and policy) on healthcare – the ‘theme’ of this hearing week. On Wednesday, controversial GP Rob Elens told how he had a “wrong feeling” about the AstraZeneca vaccine. Microbiologist Amrish Baidjoe, in turn, criticized how “laconically” the cabinet acted after the first corona wave. On Friday, Marina Eckenhausen and Bianca Buurman will take a seat opposite the committee.
Former Healthcare InspectorMarina Eckenhausen
There was a shortage of “everything” in healthcare. Marina Eckenhausen became aware of this during the corona pandemic, she said last year Fidelity. “After corona, we hoped that this would recover, but we are gradually seeing more and more scarcity in healthcare. From youth care to hospitals, there is a shortage of people, medicines and aids everywhere.”
Eckenhausen, trained as a pediatrician, was a hospital administrator for many years before becoming a top civil servant – from July she deals with taxes, surcharges and customs. During the first corona wave, Eckenhausen worked as chief inspector of curative healthcare, after which she became inspector general at the Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. She will appear before the committee in those two roles on Friday at 10 a.m.
chairman of the Professional Association of Nurses and CaregiversBianca Buurman
At the height of the pandemic, work in hospitals, nursing institutions and home care, where many others needed help in addition to Covid-19 patients, became so heavy that 1 in 10 healthcare workers dropped out. They were sick, overworked, some quit. Bianca Buurman, chairman of the professional association for nurses and caregivers V&VN, said this in 2021. NRC.
On Friday, Buurman, who as professor of Acute Elderly Care at the Amsterdam UMC also advised VWS on policy in nursing homes, will be the last interrogation of the week at 2 p.m. Professional association V&VN states that their chairman “struggles” to give nurses, caregivers and nursing specialists a say in the corona measures. “She repeatedly warned about blind spots for the less visible sectors of healthcare, such as community nursing, nursing homes, mental health care and care for the disabled,” V&VN wrote on her website.
Next week the committee of inquiry will discuss the closure of the schools. It will be announced on Friday afternoon who will be summoned for questioning about this.
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