Red Cross to help out in healthcare after requests for military aid

The Red Cross and its initiative 'Extra Hands for Care' will be deployed in various Netherlands regions where pressure on healthcare is currently so great that the minimum level of care may soon no longer be possible, the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports said to Nieuwsuur.

On Sunday, security regions in Groningen and Twente asked for military assistance in nursing and care homes. Hubert Bruls, mayor of Nijmegen and chair of the Security Council, expects that more regions will ask for help on Monday. He mentioned Gooi en Vechtstreek and Gelderland-Midden specifically.

"It is all hands on deck to ensure that sufficient care can be provided. The help of Defense is not easily called in. So if you do this, the need is very high," Bruls said to Nieuwsuur. "There is a need for hands at the bedside, and logistics, but above all care for people. It makes sense to first look at the Red Cross, but now it concerns medical specialised work. The Red Cross does not necessarily have that in-house. That is why we now also see that a number of regions are sounding the alarm."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health told the program that "the request for military assistance will be further assessed in the coming days."