GGD top man: shortage of forensic doctors is critical
Forensic medicine, which, among other things, enables the police and the judiciary to pass judgment on injuries and causes of death, is increasingly under threat due to a shortage of specialized doctors. This is what GGD chairman André Rouvoet writes to the cabinet. A critical limit has now been reached, he reports on behalf of 25 directors.
It is no longer possible to have a forensic doctor or nurse available everywhere and at all times. This has been feared and complained about for years, but now the situation of Rouvoet and the directors is really getting too bad. “The situation will become untenable in the long term. The trade is in a downward spiral.”
The scarcity of forensic doctors means that work has to be postponed, longer in some regions than in others. “That is very worrying, because injuries become less visible over time and traces disappear,” Rouvoet writes. Postponing an autopsy also has consequences, for example for the procedure in criminal law, but also for relatives who have to keep waiting for a decision.
More money
In order to bind (prospective) forensic doctors and nurses, the GGDs will have to “offer full employment contracts, an attractive package of duties and good working conditions”, says Rouvoet.
The problems are not unknown to the cabinet and they are also looking for and discussing more money, an amount of 20 million euros, but that is still not there and Rouvoet wants immediate action.