Outcomes of second-opinion investigations regarding Zuyderland
On April 23, 2024, the municipality of Heerlen received the message that from 2030, the hospital in Heerlen will no longer have room for emergency rooms, ICUs and a birthing center. This Health will then only be provided at the hospital in Sittard-Geleen. Mayor and aldermen found this decision of Zuyderland insufficiently substantiated and not very objective and had independent and objective investigations carried out. The results are known.
Key themes on which the college found the substantiation lacking were the accessibility of the sites to Parkstad residents and the financial substantiation. Finances were also the deciding factor in the Zuyderland decision.
Results of independent surveys released
The college asked Zuyderland several times in the summer of 2024 for a more comprehensive justification of the decision, but did not receive it. To still get this important information on the table, B&W decided to have independent and objective studies conducted on the impact on the hospital's accessibility and the financial justification of the Zuyderland decision. The results of these second opinion studies are now known.
In summary, the conclusion of both studies is:
- By car, ALL Park City residents are going to take an average of twice as long to get to the hospital.
- Visiting by public transportation becomes complicated, time-consuming and/or virtually unaffordable for Park City residents.
- Ambulance times do stay within legal standards, but residents spend nearly twice as long in transit for emergencies.
- Choosing the Heerlen location would cost Zuyderland 230 million euros more than the Sittard-Geleen location. Our research shows that that difference is at least 100 million less.
Learn more
You can view the full survey results: