There is light on the horizon for Zwartemeer. Advanced discussions are underway with two doctors who are temporarily taking over from GP Hans Douwes in an interim (so temporary) role. The village doctor reported at the end of last month that he will stop on 1 July. There is as yet no successor.
The news caused some unrest among the 2,800 patients in the practice. Can we count on general practitioner care in the future, many wondered. The local village council, insurer Zilveren Kruis and Huisartsenzorg Drenthe (HZD) announced that they were working on a solution.
Inquiry with the latter shows that it seems close. “At the moment there are advanced discussions with two doctors who will temporarily take on the practice in Zwartemeer after July 1, “says Ron Wissink of the Board of Directors. He does not reveal anything about the identity of the two doctors, except that one is from Drenthe and the other is from outside Drenthe. “We are almost 90 percent sure that we can continue care at the same location.”
It is not yet known how long both doctors will stay on. “We are committed to keeping them with us for as long as possible, when everything is in place.” The dot on the horizon is and remains to be transferred to a permanent practice holder.
In the meantime, the pressure on surrounding practices is mounting. Patients knock on the door in Barger-Compascuum and Klazienaveen to register there. The HZD keeps a finger on the pulse in that regard. Wissink repeats the appeal that has already been made by the HZD and Zilveren Kruis: stay with the practice in Zwartemeer until 1 July, because Wissink expects to come up with an answer quickly. “We hope to be able to bring more news in early June.”
GP Douwes said he had been looking for a successor for a year already. It is a problem that occurs more often in Southeast Drenthe, where there has been an imminent shortage of general practitioners for years. Two years ago, doctor Geert Smit in Nieuw-Schoonebeek stopped his practice. A two-year search for a successor turned up nothing. Ultimately, the practice in the neighboring village of Schoonebeek took over.
The Veendokters concept in Barger-Compascuum started in 2020 after doctor Dit van der Wal retired. Again there was no one available who wanted to take over the practice. General practitioner care Drenthe and insurer Zilveren Kruis then joined forces with the Veendokters project. This involves a mini-practice of less than fifty square meters with a minimum of staff in the center of the village. The contact between doctor and patient is direct as much as possible by telephone or digitally.
Wissink of Huisartsenzorg Drenthe acknowledges that it is difficult to attract new staff within this region. According to Wissink, Southeast Drenthe is not unique in this regard. This is also the case in South Limburg, East Groningen and West Friesland, he says. “Many starting GPs have studied in large cities. In that environment they often build a life and start a family. To then leave for the periphery, that is quite a step.”