“The chances of that are virtually zero”, says professor of Health Economics Wim Groot. “It wouldn’t make sense in the wider Dutch context. Losing that status would have serious consequences for the quality of the Medicine programme, as the hospital serves as a training ground for the next generation of doctors. But it would also affect research, innovation (new treatments) and complex medical care.
“There is a national trend towards concentrating certain treatments, particularly in oncology and cardiology, in specialised hospitals. The same could happen for highly specialised care that requires a licence under the Special Medical Procedures Act. For example, the former health minister wanted to restrict paediatric heart surgery to Groningen and Rotterdam, to the disadvantage of Utrecht and Leiden/Amsterdam. This was blocked by the courts last year. Take Maastro, which has a proton accelerator [an innovative form of radiation therapy for cancer]; there are three in the Netherlands, but two would suffice. Maastricht’s peripheral location is a risk factor, as licences may be more readily granted to hospitals in the centre of the country. But I don’t see how a merger would improve Maastricht’s chances in this respect.”
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