Zoetermeer Board praises courageous decision HagaZiekenhuis
On April 18 it was announced that the HagaZiekenhuis has made the choice to keep the acute birth care department in Zoetermeer. The board of mayor and aldermen of the Zoetermeer municipality is very pleased with this decision. Alderman Ter Laak: "The Board of Directors of the HagaZiekenhuis has taken a courageous decision with this, which really puts the interests of residents first. From the municipality we are going to look with the Board of the HagaZiekenhuis at how we can contribute from everyone's role to a working environment that is also as attractive as possible for the staff."
The city council believes that a fully-fledged maternity care department is indispensable for Zoetermeer as a city of more than 127,000 inhabitants. In a letter to the HagaZiekenhuis, the Municipal Executive writes that it is willing to think along with them about 24/7 child care, housing, accessibility and to see what is possible to contribute to new construction. Zoetermeer is growing in the coming years and the region is also showing growing demographics. The studies by GGD Haaglanden and Netwerk Acute Zorg West (NAZW) support this statement. The Municipal Executive looks back on a very intensive period of consultation with all stakeholders in the process, including the Board of Directors of the HagaZiekenhuis. The municipality used all informal and (limited) formal channels to enable retention of acute obstetrics in Zoetermeer. There is progress in the relationship between the municipality and the HagaZiekenhuis. This is partly due to the new Board of Directors of the HagaZiekenhuis. There have been good discussions with the chairman of the board about the future of the hospital in Zoetermeer.
Despite these talks, the run-up to the decision has been exciting. For the Municipal Executive, but even more so for the healthcare employees and residents of Zoetermeer. The college saw how employees of the hospital, the Primary Care Zoetermeer, the midwives and all the combative residents who care for the department joined hands. By voicing their (professional) opinions about the possible consequences of the disappearance of acute birth care and through actions. Bellies were painted, there was a serene march and a petition, which was presented to the House of Representatives. The college is very grateful to everyone who got involved in this important cause and thus contributed to a good outcome!
The Municipal Executive looks forward to further cementing the relationship between the HagaZiekenhuis and the municipality of Zoetermeer. In this way we can jointly build a future-proof hospital for all Zoetermeerders.