WILLEMSTAD - General Practitioners in Curaçao are difficult to reach. This is according to the Health Inspectorate, but also the Curaçao Medical Center (CMC). They are not happy with this situation, especially during working hours.
According to the Dutch newspaper, the Antilliaand Dagblad, they have a letter of the acting Inspector General for Health, Sirving Keli. He already warned the GPs in October about the situation that had arisen.
The Inspectorate receives complaints from patients that GPs are increasingly unavailable by telephone. Apps are also not answered.
Condition
Keli draws GPs' attention to the rules of conduct for doctors and in particular to the articles that indicate the responsibility and accessibility of GPs.
According to the Inspectorate, accessibility is a fundamental condition for the functioning of a doctor. "The physician is responsible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for patients under his treatment or that are registered under his practice,” says Keli.
CMC
After the acting inspector for public health sent this urgent letter around, the CMC also got involved in the situation.
Secretary of the board of the Curaçao General Practitioners Association (CHV), Homan Jeung, says in an additional letter that in response to signals that GPs are increasingly unreachable by phone, chairman Walid Elhage, received a cry for help from the medical director of the CMC, Ingemar Merkies.
According to Merkies, the hospital has been unnecessarily overloaded by self-referrals for a long time. About 66 percent of all visitors to the hospital would be self-referrers; patients who go straight to the hospital because of the poor reach of their doctors.
Dangerous
Jeung says the situation has only gotten worse. "This situation is unwanted and potentially particularly dangerous in the middle of one second wave of Sars Cov 2 outbreak on the island."
Jeung urges all GPs on behalf of the board to ensure continuity of care at all times.
"Primary care is the cornerstone of our health care system and the health of our fellow citizens is highly dependent on how well organized and strong GP care is. Especially in this one Sars Cov 2 outbreak, we are expected to continue to ensure continuity of care."
Jeung says that in the past seven months, the GPs had enough time to make the necessary adjustments to the practice to safely continue to provide the required care.
"Failure to answer phone calls, unfairly withhold patients and refer patients without seeing them or without consulting the hospital doctor or medical specialist is unacceptable and reprehensible."