Tickets in the Beatrix Children’s Hospital in the UMCG. Photo: Corné Sparidaens
The Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) has been working on the report since early spring and will hand it over to Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health) on Tuesday morning. It is expected that it will finally become clear in which two (or maybe three) UMCs the 13 pediatric heart surgeons who currently work in four UMCs can best continue their careers. In any case, the impact analysis should answer the question of what the consequences are for the different centers if they lose pediatric heart surgery. For employees, for the rest of the care and also for patients and their families. There is a fear in the Northern Netherlands that all paediatrics will eventually disappear.