At least 100 unregistered veterinarians are treating animals in the Netherlands
At least one hundred veterinary surgeons at Dutch animal clinics and hospitals within the three major chains AniCura, IVC Evidensia, and VetPartners are not registered in the veterinary register (CIBG), according to NOS and Omroep Brabant.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) stated on Tuesday that it will discuss this matter with the three chains, and the Royal Dutch Society for Veterinary Medicine (KNMvD) will also be involved. The intention is for unregistered veterinary surgeons to register eventually.
At least four veterinarians have reportedly performed surgeries, diagnosed animals, and prescribed medication without an official registration. Additionally, more than a hundred veterinary assistants have reportedly taken blood, administered anesthesia, or given medication while not officially registered.
In the Netherlands, veterinarians and veterinary assistants are required to register in the veterinary register. Performing veterinary procedures without registration is punishable by a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to 25,000 euros.
Nine unqualified veterinary assistants have allegedly submitted an application for registration but received an adverse decision and then went to work anyway. Additionally, sixteen veterinary assistants and one veterinarian allegedly started an application but never sent the correct documents. The veterinary register could not find any applications for the rest, NOS reported.
"Without registration, it is not possible to check whether a veterinarian or veterinary assistant has the correct training and qualifications," Sophie Deleu, chair of the Royal Dutch Society for Veterinary Medicine, the professional organization for veterinarians, told NOS. "Moreover, without registration, there is no possibility of disciplinary review or complaints handling."
"What we do notice is that, due to the takeover of veterinary clinics by the larger chains, more attention is paid to whether people are registered," said a spokesperson for the register.
The group for paraveterinarians, Vedias, also reported this. Chairwoman Marleen Langen told NOS that she discovered a few years ago that many paraveterinarians were not registered. However, she pointed out that the chains have taken many steps since then. "This problem is particularly prevalent among independent, smaller practices."
Smaller practices allegedly indicated "that they are not going to take action on this because the owner and the assistant were about to retire, the costs of the training were too high compared to what it yields, and because of the low risk that this will come to light or that it will go wrong."
AniCura, IVC Evidensia, and VetPartners own approximately a quarter of the veterinary clinics. These chains have reportedly established themselves in the Netherlands over the past few years, collectively acquiring hundreds of clinics. IVC Evidensia, in particular, has been in the news recently due to the high prices of treatments and a staff shortage.
NOS and Omroep Brabant did not check the other veterinary clinics in the Netherlands. A complete check was also impossible at the three chains. At many of the clinics, especially those of IVC Evidensia, employees were not listed on the website, or only by their first name.
IVC Evidensia refers to the lack of registrations for the four veterinarians as an "administrative error within a generally recognized complex, confusing, and old system for both foreign veterinarians who come to the Netherlands and for Dutch veterinarians who obtain their diploma abroad."
In response to questions from NOS and Omroep Brabant, the three chains reportedly stated that they have applied for registration for some of the unqualified paraveterinary assistants. In some cases, "training as a paraveterinary" was changed to "training as a veterinary assistant."
The NVWA stated that it was not aware of the registration issue. The spokesperson explained that the supervisory authority does not actively enforce registration and has received two reports in the past five years. He emphasizes that the responsibility for registration lies with employers and employees.
