The GGD has suspended a counselor at the STI outpatient clinic after it became clear that he had approached clients for private appointments. Mayor Femke Halsema and alderman Alexander Scholtes (Public Health and Prevention) report this in a letter to the council. The matter will be further investigated.
The case came to light after a client filed a complaint about the care provider. After an investigation, the GGD concludes that the man has approached at least two clients for a private appointment ‘with the apparent aim of intimate contact’, to write Halsema and Scholtes. One client subsequently visited the care provider’s home. There was contact with other clients at the outpatient clinic. Other details of the results of the investigation are kept confidential by the municipality.
According to Halsema and Scholtes, the STD outpatient clinic should be an environment where contacts with employees of the GGD are safe and reliable. “It is precisely here that an employee has abused his position as a care provider for vulnerable clients. In doing so, the person concerned has seriously damaged the interests of the clients, that of the municipality and therefore the GGD.”
The mayor and alderman do not rule out the possibility that there may have been more ‘seriously culpable behaviour’ and therefore want to investigate the matter further. The municipality also wants to think about how the threshold for reporting abuses can be lowered.
The CSG has been paying attention to the prevention of sexually transgressive behavior for some time: “Precisely because of the core task of the CSG to promote sexual health.” In order to inform the current employees, a meeting has been organized by research and security bureau Maruda. “This agency will also support the team in the coming period.”