Dutch gov't asking former healthcare workers to come back

The Ministry of Public Health, along with other involved parties, launched a platform where retired healthcare workers or other professionals who no longer work in healthcare can register if they want to temporarily return to the sector. Care organizations who need additional workers due to the coronavirus can also register on the platform, bringing demand and supply together, the Ministry said.

According to the Ministry, around 7 thousand former healthcare workers reported to various agencies that they are willing to return to the sector to help with the Covid-19 crisis. The Ministry therefore decided to open this central database so that supply and demand can be matched as closely as possible.

The Ministry also announced that nurses and doctors whose BIG registration expired within the past two years, can still work during this crisis. The obligation to re-register is also suspended until further notice.

"A team in the region will ensure that people end up where they are most needed and can mean the most. Naturally, attention is paid to education level, experience, but also to the risk of contamination that people from outside the organization may entail," the Ministry said.

This platform, called Extra hande voor zorg or "Extra hands for healthcare" in English, is a collaboration of trade associations, unions, regional employer organizations, professional associations, private initiatives and the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports.