‘I can’t hide this for twenty years’
General practitioner Jeroen Smeets (45) works at the Heer Health Center in Maastricht.
“The administrative pressure is great, we have to fill in many forms and make statements. This morning: A patient had to go to the hospital. But it wasn’t mobile enough, so the ambulance had to come and fix it,” said the hospital. And I understand, because hospitals are also overcrowded, but that’s another twenty minutes to organize yourself.
I’ve been in this practice for sixteen years, I’ve gotten used to it, but I can’t stay that way for another twenty years. And then the four of us are still in training, right? I see colleagues from dual companies who can only go on holiday for a week in the summer.
We need more time for the patient and less time for all this bureaucracy. It’s about people, not about paper. It’s also more difficult due to a significant shortage of paramedics and nurse specialists – that job ends up on our plates. I hope politicians start to think better this week. If we want to keep this care accessible, good and free, a number of things really have to change.”
“I think it’s very bad”
Leonoor Zwaag (32) works as a medical assistant in a practice in Alkmaar.
“Sometimes I come home after a day’s work and I think: did I call that lady back? Have I done this and that right? Usually the answer is yes, but the fact that I’m too busy with this shows that there are too many people, the phone is heating up. Especially now, when the quarantines are over, people immediately call with three questions as if they recorded it. They all want help as soon as possible and are more assertive.
I spend most of the day answering the phone. For example, with smears, heart X-rays and blood pressure measurements, there is little time left to pay sufficient attention to the patient. This is very annoying because I started this business because of these people.
Luckily I have an hour break a day. Breathe, eat, walk. It’s hard to put this phone down, I want to help everyone now, but I also know this: If we fall, we’ll have a bigger problem.
Public campaigns are needed, show what we do. And we need to let people know when they can and can’t go to the doctor. That’s the tricky part: on the one hand, you don’t want to make our care too accessible so that everyone skips every change. But you also want to be reachable: that is the strength of our company. And that accessibility is under pressure. I think it’s really bad.”
“A lot has changed in the field of health”
Stan van den Buijs (59) works as a general practitioner in IJmuiden.
“The workload in our profession is greater than, say, ten or twenty years ago. A lot has changed in healthcare. In our exam hall we see a reflection of social problems. For example, due to long waiting times in the GGZ. We see more and more people with mental health problems. We also have to deal with more care for dementia. And after the failure of decentralization, families are knocking on our door en masse, all of which makes our concern more and more complex.
There is a serious staff shortage in healthcare, but we can’t solve it, but we can solve it. I’ve been doing this for years, it’s going well, I love this job, but what really pisses me off is seeing young generals drop out of school. They no longer want to have their own practice or leave the GP profession entirely because of the workload. I find this nationwide trend disturbing because it exacerbates the problem.
The profession must be made more attractive and the problems in other sectors of the health sector must also be taken seriously. This cry for help from the field must be heard.”
What is happening?
In the coming week, general practitioners will demonstrate against the many extra missions that they have on their plates. The National Association of General Practitioners (LHV) expects between 5,000 and 10,000 general practitioners, medical assistants and nurse specialists at Malieveld in The Hague next Friday.
There will also be something to see in the apps. For example, videos are shown and posters are hung in waiting rooms to draw attention to the pressure in GP care. Patients receive this message when they call and are called upon to support the campaign via a model letter to Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health).
“Where do we have time?”
General practitioner Lucas Fraza (58) works with seven colleagues in a practice in Hilversum.
“If other caregivers get overwhelmed, so will we. More and more people are being treated in hospitals for shorter periods because of the long queues, which means that they come to us earlier. Lack of places in nursing homes – we are their first source of information There is a lack of expertise in mental health: all waiting lists come in to us. †
In addition, much of our practice is unnecessary, complex and time-consuming, leaving even less time for the patient. They think of all sectors: it is a small task, then the GP can do it. Help with oxygen supply for corona patients at home? Shall we? Guidance with home chemotherapy? The same. Everything is fine, but where do we get the time?
Staff shortage is a structural problem, Covid has put a magnifying glass on it. This accumulation of questions and wishes keeps him too busy to provide proper care. Few people in our profession complain, but I am concerned about the future of good GP care. I see colleagues in need and young GPs who are already dropping out of school. We must prevent the GP from being overwhelmed by bureaucracy and too high expectations.”
Source: RTL
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