WILLEMSTAD - Among general practitioners in Curaçao, there is significant dissatisfaction with the setup of the new General Practitioner Post (Huisartsenpost or HAP) at the CMC. A major point of concern is that general practitioners feel compelled to sign the affiliation agreement with the General Practitioner Post, which was sent only two days before the official start.
This so-called HAP, operational since January 1, is intended to take over evening, night, and weekend duties from general practitioners. Currently, more than 70 general practitioners are officially affiliated with the HAP, while others, according to the ministry, are still in the affiliation process.
Pressure
"Sign with the sword at your throat, or face exclusion," say several general practitioners to the reporters of Curaçao.nu. Many general practitioners signed the agreement because they believe they have no other choice.
However, according to Minister Javier Silvania, general practitioners have every right not to join the HAP. "No one is forced to join the HAP."
This has far-reaching consequences, according to general practitioners. For example, within the HAP, general practitioners have allegedly opted for the SQLapius general practitioner information system. A significant number of general practitioners say this information is incorrect and that they were only informed about it on December 30, in the contract presented to them. Silvania dismisses this criticism by stating that 93 percent of general practitioners already use the HAP system.
Privacy Concerns
"Another argument for choosing the general practitioner information system is the ability to share essential patient data between the HAP and individual general practitioners," the minister said. This would also be a requirement of the Public Health Inspection. However, there are concerns about privacy and information transfer because patients are not always asked for permission to share their data.
General practitioners who do not sign the affiliation agreement exclude themselves, according to the professional group. "We then have to take care of their own evening, night, and weekend duties, which are not reimbursed by the insurer. Those with a Dutch BIG registration must perform these duties to avoid losing their registration."
According to Silvania, the establishment of the HAP involved extensive collaboration with the Curaçao General Practitioners Association (CHV). However, according to some general practitioners, their own CHV did not pay attention in the process, in which members did not want a general practitioner post to be governed by the government. The board with Chairman Jerry Semper has therefore resigned for that reason.