Hardewijk hospital wants to take over care from bankrupt Lelystad hospital: report
The St Jansdal Hospital in Hardewijk plans to take over outpatient care in Lelystad, according to a message sent to the staff of the bankrupt MC IJsselmeer hospitals. St Jansdal confirms that there are plans, but that they are not 100 percent certain yet, NOS reports.
"The expectation is that the residents of Lelystad can go to their own city for just over 80 percent of their hospital visits", Relinde Weil from St Jansdal's board of directors said to NOS. She called the plan "realistic and feasible".
According to the message sent to MC IJsselmeer employees, Lelystad will continue to offer extensive outpatient care, diagnoses, minor medial procedures and an emergency clinics. All these involve day visits. Hospitalization will not be possible. "For very specialist care we refer to St Jansdal or other surrounding hospitals", the message reads, according to NOS. The emergency room, pediatrics and obstetrics departments will disappear from Lelystad. For these you need an operating room and an intensive care unit with many doctors and specialized staff, which is too expensive.
St Jansdal wants to use the current staff and medical specialists of the MC Zuiderzee in Lelystad. The outpatient clinic in Dronten will also remain open, according to the plans. What will happen to the outpatient clinics in Emmeloord and Urk is not yet known.
Collaborating with St Jansdal will put an end to an uncertain period, Jasper Zwiers, orthopedic surgeon and spokesman for the IJsselmeer hospitals staff, said to NOS. Though he is sad about the disappearance of the emergency room, pediatrics and obstetrics departments. "It is very disappointing to read that these departments aren't staying in Lelystad in the new plans. We want to continue to offer this care to the patients."
Lelystad mayor Ina Adema is also pleased that residents will still be able to get most of their care in the city, but she thinks that residents should also be able to have easy access to emergency care and obstetrics. "St Jansdal told us that this is not financially feasible and we are therefore looking to politicians in The Hague, because that should also be guaranteed in this region."
