The factions of the NDP, the BEP and the NPS on Tuesday urged the government to give Health Minister Amar Ramadhin the boot. The opposition which also urged the government to reject the policy of the minister no longer believes that he can get the job done because he has repeatedly failed to improve the nation’s healthcare. “The nation’s healthcare sector is about to end up in a downward spiral as the public healthcare sector is increasingly being commercialized. The government is incapable of keeping its promises regarding payments within the healthcare sector. The government has also failed to take action aimed at investigating irregularities and to tackle corruption within the healthcare sector. The friends and family policy seriously damages the nation and quality healthcare is no longer guaranteed because of the many uncertainties. We urge the government to investigate things at the Regionale Gezondheidsdienst, the State Health Insurance Fund (SZF) and the BGVS and to take immediate action if irregularities are detected. The government must also take immediate action to keep physicians and nurses from leaving the country and it must also come up with a strategy aimed at addressing the shortage of nurses and doctors.”

The faction of the opposition also condemned the fact that no action was taken although reports indicate that the number of infections of communicable diseases such as hiv are growing at an alarming rate. The BGVS does not have all of the required medication in stock and patients have no other choice than to dig deep in their wallets to buy their medicines. No improvements are made in the pharmaceutical sector which is why many medicines that are listed in the National Medical File are not accessible to patients. The factions want the government to take action as soon as possible to prevent the situation in the nation’s healthcare sector from getting worse…[+]