On Friday, the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) raised the alarm with health minister Ernst Kuipers and the chairman of the Groningen Safety Region Koen Schuiling about the health situation on the grounds of the application center at Ter Apel. According to the inspectorate, there is a high risk of infectious diseases breaking out due to the lack of hygiene on the site. There is a lack of water, clean toilets and showers and shelter.
According to the inspectorate, an outbreak of infectious diseases is not only a threat to the public health of the people waiting on the site for their asylum application, “but also for everyone who works or lives there”. Sufficient water, sanitation and shelter are needed immediately to restore hygienic conditions. The spread of infectious diseases must also be taken into account when moving people to reception locations.
The Inspectorate further states that it is “very impressed with the efforts made by people from the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders in Ter Apel. They provide basic medical care under extremely difficult circumstances”.
Doctors Without Borders treated 80 people at the site on Friday. The treated people mainly have neglected injuries, but many people also have skin infections. One person has been sent to a hospital. With which complaints has not been disclosed.