“It is realistic that there will be a pandemic coming, we don’t know when and how it will have an impact,” says Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health).

The government will withdraw a lot of money for this: up to 300 million euros annually. This amount was also in this government’s coalition agreement. Through a series of measures, Care Minister Ernst Kuipers wants to be better prepared for a possible upcoming pandemic.

The most important lesson?

During the Corona pandemic, among other things, there were very few places where critically ill patients could be cared for in intensive care. “But expanding the capacity of international cooperation is not enough. This is really not the answer to everything,” says the Minister of Health.

What is the most important lesson from the Corona crisis? “Cooperation is important,” Kuipers says. “We need to invest more in it.” “This is an absolute must. Not only collaboration between integrated circuits and hospitals, but also nursing homes, general practitioners and funeral services. So that we can have everyone at the right place as quickly as possible, both in the region and nationwide.”

Investments are also made in GGDs, which bear a great responsibility in treating and containing the virus. Work is underway on a national crisis organization. The government also wants to increase care capacity more quickly. “We had a shortage of all kinds of resources at the beginning of the outbreak. We learned from that, too.”

The right people in the right place

“In the event of a new infectious disease outbreak, it’s mainly about being agile,” Kuipers says. “We have a strong foundation in healthcare, that we have the right people in the right place, and that everyone knows what to do,” said Minister Ernst Kuipers.

The first lines have now been drawn, and the government will continue to work on them in the coming months.