Mixed reactions to Health Minister Kuipers' departure

The announced departure of outgoing Health Minister Ernst Kuipers has not gone down well everywhere in the healthcare sector. Some organizations are concerned that positive developments will come to a standstill, while others mainly praise Kuipers for his efforts and skills.

Professional organization NU’91 finds it “very undesirable in the current state of healthcare,” said chairman Femke Merel van Kooten. “As a result, the problems in healthcare continue to pile up, and that benefits no one. Certainly not our healthcare professionals who encounter major problems in healthcare on a daily basis.” Van Kooten calls it unusual for Ministers to resign during the outgoing period.

The Dutch mental health service GZZ is also concerned. Director Jeroen Pepers says he hopes that Kuipers’ departure will not delay eliminating backlogs in mental healthcare, especially because politics has a vital role in removing obstacles to cooperation between municipalities, general practitioners, and providers of mental healthcare.

Chairman Ad Melkert of the Dutch Association of Hospitals (NVZ) is positive. He believes that the trade organization has worked effectively with the Minister in recent years, including in developing the Integrated Care Agreement. “We thank him for his connecting capacity in the healthcare field. With his knowledge of healthcare, the Minister has taken crucial steps to keep healthcare accessible and affordable.”

Melkert points out that it is now the task of outgoing Minister Conny Helder and the incoming Cabinet to maintain the line of the healthcare agreement. Helder will take over Kuieprs’ duties for the time being.

Kuipers announced on Wednesday afternoon that he would be leaving the Cabinet prematurely because he would be taking up a position abroad. He did not say what that position entails.