The Netherlands’ pandemic response has been hamstrung by its decentralised health network and slow decision making, experts have told AD.

Richard Janssen, professor of economics and healthcare organisation at Tilburg University, said the need to consult and agree on procedures with several different agencies had made it hard to react quickly to the spread of the virus.

‘Under the Dutch polder model it is very difficult to push through changes,’ he said. ‘We often cite Israel as a country where the coronavirus approach is much faster and more efficient. But that’s a country that operates on military principles: it’s not in our culture.

‘Traditions are hard to change. All hospitals and care homes are autonomously operating organisations that have to pump health insurers for money. All the administrators have learned to think in terms of market forces. And then suddenly there’s a pandemic and a minster asking if they can set up extra intensive care beds.’

The first lockdown in March 2020 was imposed under emergency rules because of the imminent crisis. But once the crisis infrastructure was relaxed in June 2020, ministers were no longer able to decide on the spot. Parliament, local health authorities and civic leaders all required to be consulted.

Crisis management consultant Gert-Jan Ludden, of SVDC Advies, told the newspaper that the pandemic had exposed shortcomings in the Dutch consultative model, which he called ‘a spaghetti of endless deliberation and co-ordination.’

‘Our polder model works fine under normal circumstances,’ he said. ‘But in times of crisis you need tight lines, a clear command structure and clarity about who is responsible for what.

‘[Hugo] de Jonge sometimes spends 20 hours a week in parliamentary debates. The man has a crisis to manage! We would be better off setting up a parliamentary commission that checks the cabinet periodically without all these pointless debates.’