In our attempt to try to follow-up the patients we researched in refugee tent camp Ter Apel, we encountered some issues with the first patient we contacted of which we choose not to keep our silence.

Hereby we want to inform you of the following with full consent of the patient.

 

 

It concerns a patient as said we provided with medical aid in the tent camp. We found and find it extremely necessary that this patient is seen by a medical specialist in the hospital. We have been trying, also from the camp,to find a specialist and hospital willing to help this patient, seen in the light of the fact that MD's swore to an oath to help people in need of medical care.

Unfortunately this search has been unsuccessful up til now. This fact gave and gives us personal grief and even vicarious shame feelings.

     

  Having said this.

 

The patient has informed us that even though we provided him with a written transferal for the hospital he was not helped nor even listened to. Only getting very loud and screaming for help got him a conversation with of a nurse.

The nurse told him that they were not able to help him since he was not 'in the system' anymore as an illegal person, therefore the hospital wasn't able to gave him the costly aid of a research by a specialist nor did he have the right to receive such care!

     

 

After perseverance by the patient the nurse was willing to contact us. Nurse told the patient that she had tried to contact us for over an hour, but on our phonenumber provided there were no missed incoming calls!    

 

We were reached later on and were able to take the initial steps with the nurse to an adequate treatment meaning bloodresearch etc...

We seriously hope the patient will eventually be seen by the specialist we refered him to (neurologist)and that the treatment will actually get started.

 

We will follow-up!

     

Besides the medical difficulties we wre informed by the patient that he has been placed in a refugee center after the policeriot yesterday in Ter Apel without his complete support system of friends and acquaintances. Patient told Iraqi's who were friends were separated and spread over several refugee camps in the country. Authorities knew from 'observation' which relationships between the refugees existed.

 

Patient is now in a refugee camp without anyone he knows and feels completely isolated.

    ..

 

Besides this, patient informed us that he hasn't been provided with food since yesterday 23-05-2012,13.30   ( 23-05-2012 he had a double sandwich with cheese).

He was told he needed to go to the shops himself and cook for himself. His physical health however prevents him from being able to do that.

 

If he would have been among his friends, this supportsystem could have taken care of him the way they did in the tent camp Ter Apel.

 

Patient is not from Kurdistan, but was placed in a group of Kurdistani.

     

In my point of view there a very simple solution; a transfer to the AZC near Nijmegen so his friend who has been placed there can take care of him like he has been doing for the past two years.

Of course placing and transferring people is not up to me, but this situation calls for a pragmatic solution by providing the patient with better conditions for his care and less external and internal work for COA.

     

I tried to communicate with COA medical services over the food condition of the patient, but they informed me it was not their task/duty. They referred me to 'living accompaniment' but they did ad that if a refugee in the camp for whatever reason can't take care of himself, he needs to ask his friends! Saying this even though his friends who did take care of him have been placed (on purpose ?) somewhere else!

     

I tried several times to reach this department, unfortunately the phone is unanswered. Needless to say I find this situation very disturbing for the patient.

     

     

To all refugees who took the offer of minister Gerd Leers was promised adequate care, but I won't repeat this to the full extend to not make this letter longer than necessary.

 

I sincerely hope this case will not be the example for all of the other patients we are trying to follow.

I also strongly ventilate the hope that this particular patient involved who gave his clear consent to us to communicate about it, will not face any form of harassment.

 

This case is a schoolexample of the situation we find ourselves in as MD's by not haven been given the opportunity to transfer our medical documentation to the COA/GGD MD's. I also stated this in a clear document to the judge who precided the lawsuit this morning in Groningen.

     

Even worse is the fact that COA/IND haven't informed where 'our' patients have been transferred to in order to provide us with the possibility to either do the follow-up ourselves or transfer the documentation to other MD's. This concerns the group of Iraqi's who 'voluntarily' checked in to AZC Ter Apel.

Ad far as the refugees who fled are concerned, we will also try to follow-up on them to make sure we can accompany them to the right treatment in case of illness. Amongst others by involving the organization 'Medical doctors of the world' (Dokters van de Wereld)who have offered their support.

     

This also goes for the refugees who have been taken into detention, amongst who there are people who haven't even been given the chance to finish antibiotics medication cures because of the fact that they were not given the chance to take their belongings when the riotpolice cleared out the tent camp yesterday.

In that light I want to mention the medication of a diabetes patient that was found by volunteers ruined in the mess the riotpolice left behind.

 

     

For the particular patient mentioned earlier, volunteers through a network were found to make sure he will be able to eat something tonight and hopefully also the next days until he makes some new friends who would want to support him or until maybe my suggestion to transfer him to his friend will be followed up.

     

Even though refugees may find themselves in the same position procedure wise, this does not automatically mean that after years of solitary living in the streets where other homeless people may even be your 'competitors', you will find yourself just being supported by other refugees no strings attached.

     

     

    Update :

 

COA nurse contacted my partner (also MD)that some volunteers will report in from outside to take care of the patient and that the nurse will get COA 'living accompaniment' to contact us.

It's three hours later and still no phonecall!

     

This is all for now,

 

Best regards,

 

Elcke Bonsen

MD in Tent camp Ter Apel