A DISPUTE BETWEEN the State Health Insurance Fund (SZF) and surgeons from the Diakonessenhuis about invoicing puts pressure on services in the institution. Surgeons have been refusing to treat SZF patients since November 3. The specialists previously received an additional compensation of SRD 300,000 per month, but the SZF stopped the payment because it was not sufficiently clear what the amount was based on. This has gone wrong with the doctors and they are now clearly drawing the line. Minister André Miesiekaba of Health, Welfare and Labor said in the National Assembly that three surgeons have refused an offer of SRD 200,000.
While the minister, the surgeons and the SZF discuss reimbursements, contracts and money, one pressing question concerns patients: ‘when will we be helped?’ They want to get better, be pain-free and, above all, not feel that their health depends on a dispute over money. The issue surrounding the three surgeons from the Diakonessenhuis once again exposes a painful reality: when disagreements arise within healthcare, it is often the patient who ultimately suffers the consequences.
When disagreements arise within healthcare, it is often the patient who ultimately suffers the consequences
Surgeons have studied for years and bear enormous responsibility based on their professionalism. When a patient lies on the operating table, he entrusts his life to their expertise. Specialists are also scarce and their work is invaluable. It is therefore not unreasonable for them to demand good compensation, but they must be able to substantiate this in a plausible manner. The latter would not be the case, as the other party states.
The SZF has announced that insured persons may report to the other three hospitals in Paramaribo and the surgeons working there. That is an important step, but the question is whether this solution is sufficient. There are already waiting lists. A patient who qualifies for treatment cannot simply join the group again. In addition, SZF policyholders know that their insurance does not cover all medication and medical costs. Patients must pay for certain medications and treatments themselves. This is a heavy burden for families who have to count every month to make ends meet.
The irritation becomes even greater when simultaneously reports appear about generous salaries at, for example, the Telecommunications Authority of Suriname and the SZF management. If the annual salary of the average Surinamese approximately corresponds to the monthly salary of a director, as is stated in society, then it is understandable that people ask questions about financial priorities.
It is not about rejecting good salaries, but about transparency and the relationship between public expenditure and social responsibility. The surgeons have the right to defend their interests. The SZF must handle public resources carefully and the minister must ensure that access to care is guaranteed. But all these responsibilities together affect one person: the patient.
