More than 15,000 long COVID patients in the Netherlands declared disabled
More than 15,000 post-COVID patients in the Netherlands have been officially declared fully or partially disabled by the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV), nearly six years after the pandemic began. The UWV determines disability after reviewing medical records and assessing a patient’s ability to work. At the same time, a separate study by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) found that at least 3,000 additional disability benefits were linked to COVID infections between June 2020 and August 2021.
The CPB study also highlighted the impact on the workforce. Two years after infection, nearly a quarter of workers who had COVID were still on long-term disability, with older employees disproportionately affected. In the first week after a positive test, employees worked 40 percent fewer hours, especially in jobs requiring physical presence, such as healthcare and education. By the fifth week, most had returned to their usual hours.
The rising number of patients has intensified pressure on a healthcare system already struggling to meet demand. C-support, the organization that provides specialized support for post-COVID patients, will no longer receive funding from the Ministry of Health next year, forcing patients to rely on general medical care. Caretaker Minister Jan Anthonie Bruijn warned in a parliamentary letter that patients would need to seek help through standard healthcare channels.
Experts fear that this will leave many severely ill patients without adequate support, as general practitioners reportedly often lack specific knowledge on managing these cases, and paramedical care is no longer reimbursed. Academic outpatient clinics, which opened just over a year ago and serve only a fraction of patients, will also lose funding by the end of this year.
“The ministry continues to look away, which is maddening and frankly unacceptable,” said Wink de Boer, an internist and gastroenterologist at Bernhoven Hospital in Uden. “These patients need a landing place where they are taken seriously and where a dedicated team can help. Even if we cannot yet cure them, we have many ways to guide them toward a better life. There is an immense need for this.”
De Boer and colleagues have developed advanced plans for a national center for all patients with post-acute infectious syndromes (PAIS), which includes post-COVID as well as conditions triggered by viruses or bacteria such as Q fever fatigue syndrome (QVS), Epstein-Barr (pfeiffer), and ME/CFS.
However, national funding has stalled. “Everyone waits and points fingers,” said Pieter Paul Slikker, alderman of ’s-Hertogenbosch, during a conference at the North Brabant provincial hall. “If an institution wants to provide care for post-COVID patients, other care is displaced. Everywhere there are budget ceilings. That is why nothing happens,” De Boer explained.
To address the gap, the province of Noord-Brabant, heavily affected by both COVID and Q fever, has committed 200,000 euros to start the project. Municipalities in the province have added another 100,000 euros. A project coordinator will oversee collaboration among all involved parties.
The economic impact is significant. UWV data show that more than 1,800 ME/CFS patients and over 400 with QVS, Lyme, or pfeiffer receive disability benefits. Together with post-COVID claims, these programs cost the treasury hundreds of millions of euros annually, according to insurance physician and lawyer Jim Faas. Estimates suggest roughly 100,000 Dutch residents suffer severe post-COVID symptoms, 1,500 have QVS, and about 30,000 have ME/CFS.
