Cutbacks in social security threaten supervision of public health
In the media image: Christian Dubovan on Unsplash
The Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) will receive more than a quarter less budget for supervising the quality of public health from 2032. Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional Law, comments on the issue in ‘de Volkskrant’.
The measure is part of the Dutch government's plan to cut €2.4 billion from public spending. The reduction is allocated proportionally across ministries, with each ministry deciding how to implement the cuts. Voermans can understand the demand for a leaner government: ‘If the government wants to cut spending on social security, it also wants to show that it is willing to make sacrifices within its own administration,’ he explains. That said, he has doubts about the implications when it comes to supervision. He adds that the government has aimed to operate with fewer civil servants for the past two decades, yet the number of central government employees has actually increased from 139,000 in 2021 to 169,000 in 2025.
The planned scaling back of oversight of fraud and malpractice in healthcare is particularly worrying, especially as these problems appear to be on the rise. Voermans also warns of a recurring pattern within government: cuts in supervision can create a cyclical effect. ‘And when problems do arise, it turns out that everyone with expertise on the issue has been let go,’ he continues. ‘If a harmful, illegal medicine were to enter the market, calls for tighter supervision would soon be heard. The government should guard against this stop-and-start approach to supervision.’
More information?
Read the full article in de Volkskrant (€, in Dutch)