Debate Report
On April 4th, the ‘committee meeting’ (Commissie Debat) on the Dutch Global Health Strategy took place. Present were Minister Dijkstra of Medical Care and Minister Van Leeuwen of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (BHOS). From the FTDC committee, the following Members of Parliament were present: Derk Boswijk (CDA), Danielle Hirsch (GL-PvdA), Isa Kahraman (NSC), Dennis Ram (PVV), Sarah Dobbe (SP), Pepijn van Houwelingen (FVD), and Roelien Kamminga (VVD). Joris Thijssen (GL-PvdA) chaired the debate.
Dobbe opened the debate emphasizing support for women, particularly in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). She highlighted the global risks of potential new pandemics and the necessity for pandemic preparedness. The Members of Parliament also mentioned the need to curb the power of pharmaceutical companies, so they cannot determine who has access to vaccinations and at what price.
Ram of the PVV argued that the focus on women as victims of the pandemic is one-sided. He emphasized the equal treatment of all groups, including men, the elderly, and children. Dobbe interrupted him and pointed out the unequal access to healthcare for women, to which Ram acknowledged the issues but also advocated for an equal approach to men, women, the elderly, and children. Kamminga emphasized that while women indeed have poor access to healthcare, the strategy should also look more broadly at other groups and the global context, given the impact of the pandemic outside the Netherlands.
Boswijk interrupted Ram and emphasized the importance of international cooperation to address pandemics at the source, which ultimately is also in the interest of the Netherlands. Ram argued that it is not the responsibility of the Netherlands to save the whole world.
The debate then shifted to the connection between climate change and health, where both Ram and van Houwelingen were critical about this connection. This was countered by several Members of Parliament by pointing to statistics showing that climate change does indeed affect health issues such as wildfires.
After all the questions from the Members of Parliament, the Ministers had the opportunity to respond. They explained that climate change is a priority and also indicated that there are various ways in which they cooperate with parties within the Netherlands, including through the Global Health Hub. The Minister of BHOS promised to revisit the link between climate and BHOS topics. The ministers also emphasized, among other things, the importance of collaboration at the international level. They called on all institutions to work together on global health. We may be a small country, but we can achieve a lot!
You can rewatch the debate at (The debate is in Dutch):
Mondiale gezondheidsstrategie | Debat Direct (tweedekamer.nl)