Mobility freezes without our heroes in healthcare. Because we think it is important and the care deserves more appreciation, we publish the open letter to Mark Rutte, Hugo de Jonge and the MPs of VVD, CDA, CU and D66 of Marian Lommerse. This year she has been working in healthcare for 40 years and has seen many different care fields during that time.

no money

On Tuesday, June 16, a second vote was taken on a motion tabled by Marijnissen and Asscher for structurally better appreciation of health care providers. This time it was a roll call vote. The previous week, the four government parties had already voted against. The vote was stuck at 70 in favor and 70 against. All MPs from VVD, CDA, CU and D66 voted against. All members of the coalition! Because it costs a lot of money and that money is not there, is the opinion of those coalition members.

heroes in healthcare

Can I take you back to the beginning of the corona crisis? I heard you speak on TV over and over again of 'heroes in healthcare' and of 'essential professions'. I have looked up for you what exactly is meant by essential: very important, crucial, of decisive significance, forming the core, essential. As soon as it became clear that the virus was a major problem, our hospital asked what we as employees could offer. Anyone who could at least sign up to help. We were updated in no time via e-learning and 'practice boot camps'. The hospital quickly turned from known reality to corona reality.

support packages

You came up with support packages for entrepreneurs, for sectors, for individual companies that had to be kept in the air. Little was needed for that, it hardly gave any discussion in the room. In the meantime, care was running at full speed.

On TV angry people from the catering industry, frightened school teachers, disappointed gym owners. All rightly so, these are uncertain times. The care toiled, often with too little protection and under very high pressure. It was not said that it was not possible, that it was irresponsible, there was no threat of refusal to work. On the contrary, the shoulders were put underneath.

cut back on education and care

Billions have been spent in recent weeks. A few weeks ago, I heard an economist report on TV that the money had to come back, of course, and that it probably had to be partly coughed up due to cutbacks in education and healthcare. I hope I misheard or misunderstood.

stepped on my heart

And then the roll call vote on June 16. The only message about this on the NOS app reported that the vote had stalled and that the Chamber Bell had not sounded, so that Renske Leijten of the SP was not in time in the plenary room for the vote. How ironic! And how characteristic of healthcare: are we ever really heard? In my own newspaper, the NRC Next, there was not even a message about the vote. On social media people fell en masse about Renske who was not on time. But should the outrage go much more towards all those members of the CDA, VVD, CU and D66 who voted against? Because honestly, you have kicked me on my heart so badly that even after three days I still have tears in my eyes when I think about it.

respect to caregivers

I am by no means a fan of any of the parties that currently govern the country, but in recent weeks I have defended all your decisions regarding the corona crisis. Not all of them were good, but in an unknown crisis it is difficult to determine what you are doing right. I have accepted your decisions with respect. But what about your respect for the caregivers? You should be deeply ashamed.

kick after

It is a staircase to all care workers. The hospital's ICU nurse trying to save your loved ones, the nursing home care staff where your mom or dad spends her or his last days, the staff who lovingly accompany your disabled son or daughter, the people in home care who continued to provide their care as optimally as possible with limited resources. And all the healthcare personnel that I have not specifically mentioned here. All these people fall on your heart.

miserable state

I had known for years that care never received the attention it deserved. This was again evident in the past year, when various care professions competed for a better collective labor agreement. Little was said about it in The Hague. The care was already in a miserable state before the corona period. Too few staff, too high a workload. The fact that we have been able to manage the crisis so far is a major achievement. Not from The Hague, but from the healthcare staff.

drop care like brick

In the meantime, I also hear The Hague not mention anything about all those healthcare institutions that have had to spend enormous amounts to cope with the corona crisis, while income fell dramatically due to the failure of regular healthcare. Within my hospital, efforts are being made to find ways to fill this gap in the budget. That does not bode well for the healthcare workers in the near future. What will The Hague do with this? Do we keep KLM in the air, but are we dropping care like a brick? What do you think this does to people who work in healthcare or are thinking about entering healthcare. One thing I know for sure: this will not benefit the inflow into healthcare. The same influx that is badly needed, as the SER indicated this week.

bitter aftertaste

I want to end my speech with a lesson I used to learn from my mother: if you don't mean something, don't say it. So cry that we are heroes, not clap. Empty words, a hollow gesture. You reward heroes, you don't follow them. I am left with a very bitter aftertaste and there is only one thought that keeps popping up in my mind: the care is always there for you, but you are never there for the care.

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