Healthcare authority leaders resign amidst scandal

The two administrators of the Netherlands Healthcare Authority (NZa) are resigning. They have announced this to minister Edith Schippers of Health. This comes after it was reported that one of the administrators expensed business trips to companies linked to the NZa. Theo Langejan has been found to expense business trips abroad to companies who perform tasks for the NZa, or to institutions under supervision of the NZa. This information was published by the NRC Handelsblad on Saturday. The newspaper checked what Langejan and his colleague Eitel Homan have declared. According to the paper, the supervisor enforces different standards upon himself than for the institutions which he supervises. The two administrators are taking distance from the accusations in the media, and tell minister Schippers that they are resigning "in the interest of the NZa." The minister must now look for replacements. Minister Schippers got some criticism from the SP, the PVV and GroenLinks, who thought that she should have handled the situation this weekend. Now, Parliament is reacting with assent to the NZa-administrators' resignation. Parliament members are calling it a valid and wise decision. Since his appointment in 2010, Theo Langejan has taken business trips at least 16 times at the expense of companies and care institutions. Among others, he stayed at a hotel in Saint-Paul-de-Vence on the French Riviéra where he was invited by medicine producer Pfeizer. Langejan will spend the next year working for the General Administrative Service. In this period he can search for a new job, minister Schippers tells Parliament in a letter. Eitel Homan will stay on until an interim-president for the NZa is appointed. He will remain a government employee until the end of his term. 1 October 2014.