Mid-summer 2020, our financial supervisors told GOA, MinTVS and a wide official distribution that 60M must be slashed off Aruba’s AZV budget.
The local zorgverleners, our medical caregivers organized into various associations, found the courage to ask why, on July 13th, apparently Aruba’s health care expenses are in better shape than the other Dutch islands and much below the level of spending according to Dutch standards.
So why is AZV required to slash 12%-13% of its budget without an explanation?
CAft came back with an astoundingly arrogant answer, recently: CAft does not wish to answer questions from the healthcare sector of Aruba for substantive substantiation of this reduction, because “it is not customary for CAft to explain its advice.”
(Google translate is weird)
They said they did not have to defend their decision; they did not owe us a ‘splanation.
The caregivers did not crawl back into their hole, they wrote again on November 13th, a series of well-crafted letters to CAft and the other Dutch officials.
“We are sorry you do not wish to provide a substantive answer to our questions, but…” then they continued to outline a good argument why CAft SHOULD provide constructive consultation leading to corresponding reforms so that the wisdom that CAft is apparently not used to sharing can also be used by others to implement stable and solid policy.
(Flattery will get you far.)
In other words, the caregivers would like to learn, they are open for discussion not just pure instructions.
I usually like the suggestions made by Gradus, CAft, they give me hope for a better more structured future, but in this case his self-importance, and high and mighty response, brushing all contact off, deserved a firm and intelligent response.
Dear caregivers: We thank you for standing up for us and fighting back. Our healthcare is suffering greatly because of the cuts, and operates in survival mode. There is not room for reform when your life is on line.
You already know that MinTVS did not find his voice to protest, mid-summer 2020. Aruba was strapped for cash and in his mind, it was not a good time to argue with CAft, besides, why do today what you can do tomorrow? Protest requires courage, which MinTvs has in short supply.
In his mind it would be political suicide to tell us we would be paying Awg 10 for every doctor’s visit and every medication, so he kicked the can down the road, procrastinating. Finally, he announced cuts in services, no real reform and botched up the dialysis transportation attempting to launch a new business within DVG.
For his brilliant leadership he landed the Man of the Year title.
Xclusivo Magazine is making the front liners, men and women of the year. And this column is suggesting perhaps Sharine Koolman and Lex de Jong deserve some credit, because Koolman faced the nation every night, patiently, and de Jong finally got some protest going, fighting CAft back. The former AZV Chief Medical Officer, now at the helm of Respaldo, got the cojones to put all zorgverleners together, hospital, Imsan, specialists, house doctors etc, to sign the protect letter since the summer and now again, trying to seek clarity regarding that number, 60M in cuts that would cripple our healthcare system and deteriorate the quality of service, already compromised.
How did CAft reach that 60M number, you’re asking?
From an obscure PWC report, from November 2019.
Basically the now dismissed CEO gave his former colleagues at PWC some work, to evaluate AZV, they wrote a report, now quoted by Gradus, CAft. It is a flimsy basis for savings, not the bible.
And the restrictions on medications coming into effect Feb 1st, 2021, will be another bomb.
There should have been a strong protest back them, when the decision was made for the first time. Water under the bridge.
