KRALENDIJK — The Court in First Instance of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba has given Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports, Edith Schippers, eight weeks to take a new decision on a case in which the Medical Insurance Office on Bonaire refused an insured from Bonaire medical transport to the Netherlands.

 

The insured, assisted by lawyer Ernst Wesselius, lodged an appeal against this refusal.

 

On February 25/26th the insured visited the cardiologist on Bonaire because of heart and/or pain complaints. The cardiologist diagnosed ‘new onset angina pectoris’ and referred her on February 27th to the intervention cardiologist at the Amsterdam VU Medisch Centrum for heart catheterization. The specialists were of the opinion that the technical possibilities (intra-coronary physiology) and the psychological pressure on the patient were clear indications to undergo this medical examination in the Netherlands.

 

However, the request from medical specialists, Dr. Kamp and Dr. Van der Zee, for medical referral of the insured to a non-contracting medical provider in the Netherlands was refused – on behalf of the minister – by the head of the Medical Insurance Office on Bonaire. In accordance with medical advice the reason for the refusal was insufficient medical arguments as regards contents to justify medical transport to the Netherlands.

 

“When taking her decision the minister failed to reckon with the circumstance that the patient was to undergo this not entirely innocuous treatment with the possibility of a second operation in Columbia”, the lawyer argued during the session. “She experiences this as emotional pressure, owing to her psychological complaint panic disorder. None of this is mentioned in the contested decision, while it was most certainly pointed out as relevant for medical transport of the patient to the Netherlands”, Wesselius stated.

 

The patient clarified during the session that this psychological pressure was fostered by meanwhile 22 (very) bad medical experiences in the past 1½ year with medical transports from Bonaire to Columbia, where patients must undergo treatment even if they cannot communicate with the doctors in attendance there owing to the language barrier.