Almost 3,000 physiotherapists in the Netherlands have already quit their jobs since April last year and 70 per cent of those still on the job are thinking about leaving, Dutch physiotherapists' union FDV said. This trend resulted in compulsion in the absence of (as much as before) at Friesland, Zeeland en Limburg and patients now increasingly have to deal with longer waiting times for pelvic/ paediatric physio.
5 months Ago
A survey by FDV of 1,000-plus therapists found that over 600 more left the field last year than entered. Most of those leaving are younger therapists with fewer than 10 years of experience.
Exodus Begins as Demands of Job and Low Pay Take Toll
Low pay, heavy workloads and long hours worked unpaid are the main reasons for the mass exodus, physiotherapists say.
Many say their pay does not line up with the amount of education the job demands. The head of the FDV chair Bob van Ravensberg has said that some therapists are finding it hard to meet fundamental living costs: "I get tear-jerking emails from people who can no longer afford their weekly groceries or their mortgage.
Today, therapists charge approximately 35 euros per half hour—pushing the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) for a standardized base rate.
The Tweede Kamer has already voted on a motion on this, and the Minister of VWS has asked NZa to find a solution.
Systemic Problems and Loss of Student Engagement
Read also: Dutch home care workers to go on strike FDV points out that hospital and rehabilitation centre therapists can make up to 60 per cent more than community-based therapists, thanks to collective labour agreements. Local physios, in contrast, depend on 'free' tariffs set by insurers, which puts financial pressure on them.
The system is at a stalemate, Rav.
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