What is this emergency session about?
In 2.5 years, Minister Ernst Kuipers wants the children’s heart centers in Utrecht and Leiden/Amsterdam to close. The care must then be concentrated in Groningen and Rotterdam in order to increase quality. Utrecht opposes this decision – the UMC wants to keep its own children’s heart center. Especially since many young cancer patients of the Princess Máxima Center can often be found with the ‘neighbors’ of the heart department. For example for difficult biopsies.
In November there will also be a substantive hearing in court and the judge will consider the question: is the minister right with this decision? Despite that case, the minister wants the children’s heart centers to start a “transition period” now. Today’s emergency session is about that. UMC Utrecht, among others, does not want to make any decisions about the closure of the children’s heart centers before the judge has considered the case.