On February 29, the first working conference took place to arrive at the so-called post-COVID clinics. C-support was also present.
The importance of special centres where people with post-infectious conditions can be seen and treated multidisciplinary is something we have been advocating for years. To date, the problems these patients face have been viewed too one-sidedly and with too little knowledge about the condition. We were therefore pleased to receive an invitation to the first working conference for this, organised by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. In these meetings, we work together with patient organisations, healthcare professionals, scientists, health insurers, the Dutch Healthcare Authority and the ministry on a plan to establish these clinics.
During the first meeting on 29 February, the sense of urgency was clearly felt by everyone. All parties took responsibility to work together to improve care for people with post-infectious diseases. The focus was often on the post-COVID condition, but we made it clear that we need to look broader and that we need to focus on care for all post-infectious diseases. The meeting first produced very concrete elaborations on how the centres could be designed. In addition, four main topics were identified that the participants will work on in the coming weeks: medical knowledge and application, organisation of care, financing and social factors (such as work and education). In about four weeks, we will meet again to give the work plan more substance. We are pleased with these first steps and look forward to their further development.
