Differences in vaccination policy between the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany are causing people to fall by the wayside. At least, that’s what it looked like for a while when family doctors invited the target groups 60-64 years old, people with Down syndrome and morbid obesity. People living in the Netherlands with a GP living abroad did not receive an invitation to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. A piece of tailor-made work by the GGDs in the border regions offers a solution.
GP abroad
The problem first occurred in Zeeland, where the GPs were the first to start vaccinating. Dozens of people with a GP in Belgium missed out on an invitation to be vaccinated. Later, this also happened in other border regions, including South Limburg. In cooperation with the RIVM, the GGDs in these regions were given the opportunity to offer a tailor-made solution. The GGD Zuid Limburg offers a tailor-made solution by vaccinating this specific target group as of March 29.
GGD calls on specific target group to come forward
Making an appointment for vaccination is different for this target group. Because the GGD does not have the address information of these patients, it is not possible to send them an invitation by mail. Therefore the GGD calls upon these people to report to the GGD Zuid Limburg. Specifically, this concerns people who live in the Netherlands, have a family doctor abroad and belong to one of the following target groups:
With this, the GGD follows the national vaccination strategy. As soon as general practitioners are ordered to vaccinate other target groups, people with a general practitioner abroad can again report to the GGD.
Scheduling a vaccination appointment
Making an appointment for vaccination is possible by calling the GGD Zuid Limburg Information Line: 088 – 8805005 (choice 1: vaccination). The information line is available 7 days a week from 08.00-20.00 hours.
Consult the website
GGD Zuid Limburg has set up a webpage especially for this target group with all the necessary information. Because there is no physical invitation in the mailbox, it is important to consult this page. Besides relevant information for the vaccination appointment, you can also find documents like the health statement and the invitation. Both are needed during the vaccination appointment.