According to research conducted by the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV), 80 percent of healthcare workers in the Netherlands feel they are unprepared for a second wave of the coronavirus. 

Dutch healthcare unprepared for second wave

The research was conducted among more than 1.600 workers in the care and welfare sectors, and revealed that both the Dutch healthcare system and its staff would be unprepared to face a second wave of the virus. 

A whopping 80 percent of employees in those sectors fear a second wave. More than half of those who participated in the study felt the Dutch government had taken sufficient measures to combat the virus, but 80 percent also felt the enforcement of these measures was not strict enough. About 50 percent also felt members of the public did not adhere to the measures well enough. 

Vice-chairman of the FNV, Kitty Jong, said: "These figures really make me angry. It is completely unacceptable that there are still insufficient means of protection. With such a feeling of insecurity, healthcare workers fear a second wave, which this research clearly shows."

Workers feel unsafe

Furthermore, only a third of respondents said they felt they could carry out their job safely, as they still lacked sufficient protective equipment: only a quarter said they had enough stock for a second wave. Many respondents also feared becoming infected with the virus themselves.

Around 70 percent of those involved in the research - mostly those working in nursing and care homes - said they experienced high or very high pressure at work and had felt overburdened during the coronavirus peak. 

Government support for healthcare workers

90 percent of respondents felt that the work they have carried out throughout this pandemic was not adequately appreciated by politicians and the government, or indeed by the general public. 

At the end of June, the government announced a one-off bonus of 1.000 euros for healthcare workers involved in the coronavirus outbreak in the Netherlands.  But, the FNV’s research has revealed that an overwhelming majority of respondents (70 percent) would prefer an increase in salary over a one-off bonus - they believe the 1.000 euro bonus they have been offered is insufficient.