In the quiet hours when most of a city sleeps, the heartbeat of care should still thrum steadily — a reassuring promise that help is near when the unexpected knocks at midnight. Yet in Schiedam’s Franciscus Vlietland Hospital, that pulse has dimmed under the soft cloak of night. The doors that once welcomed those in need of urgent care now remain closed after dark, and residents find themselves turning toward another city for help when dawn still feels far away.
Earlier this year, the emergency department at Franciscus Vlietland ceased its nighttime operations due to a shortage of medical staff. Now, the nearby huisartsenpost — the out‑of‑hours GP service that traditionally bridges the gap between regular care and urgent need — follows suit. Together, these closures mean that those facing pressing health concerns in the deep night must journey to Delft, where both services remain open.
For local leaders, the change is more than logistical; it feels like a retreat from care close to home. “It can’t be right that as a Schiedammer, if something happens at night, you have to go all the way to Delft,” says Petra Zwang, the city’s health alderwoman, openly frustrated by the situation. “I’m strontchagrijnig about it — and that comes from the bottom of my heart.”
The reactions are echoed by neighboring officials who see a pattern of services slipping away. In Vlaardingen, Jacky Silos points out that this closure follows the earlier loss of obstetric care and evening emergency services, eroding the safety net that once kept acute care nearby. There are fears — voiced by both municipal leaders and insurer DSW — that closing these services at night could discourage people from seeking help or delay care when every minute counts.
From the perspective of the huisartsenpost leadership, the choice was not easy. The shortage of doctors and nurses is not unique to Schiedam but reflects a broader challenge across the Dutch healthcare system. Attempts to keep the services open without sufficient qualified staff could risk burnout or compromised care quality.
In practice, only a handful of patients — on average about six per night — would have used the GP post during these hours. Official figures suggest that many of those in need still call and travel to the Delft facility when necessary. Yet for those long nights when uncertainty presses hard, a few extra kilometers can feel like an eternity.
As community representatives seek dialogue with hospitals and insurers, the debate reflects a deeper question about how society balances resource constraints with the promise of immediate care. For now, the night remains quieter in Schiedam’s care corridors, but the conversation about accessibility and proximity continues in town halls and living rooms alike.
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Sources : NOS.nl (Rijnmond) DitisTwee.nl Skipr.nl Tubantia / RTV Rijnmond Regional news partners via NOS