Dutch health insurer Menzis is changing the way it pays for treatment for some forms of depression, so that invoices will be paid on the basis of results, not the number of treatment sessions, the Volkskrant reported on Monday. The insurance company says this will lead to better targeted therapy and, in the long term, lower costs. The new system will be applied to treatment for non-chronic cases of depression in which therapy lasts less that a year. Menzis has made agreements with 18 large organisations which deal with mental health issues to accept the new method of funding. Menzis is one of the biggest health insurance groups in the country, with some 15% of the market. Every year some 35,000 Menzis patients are treated for depression either via medication or with a psychiatrist. Some experts have criticized Menzis' decision, arguing that it is often difficult to determine if treatment for depression has succeeded. ‘Looking at the results of treatment is a good thing,’ said Menno Tusschenbroek, of the national psychiatric patients’ platform. ‘But there is a risk patients will miss out if insurers only look at the cost.’  More >

Some 6.3 million people in the Netherlands have now signed the organ donation register, of whom 3.7 million say they will donate their organs after death and 1.9 million say they won't. In total, 42% of the adult population have now registered their wishes, up from 40% four years ago. The number of people signing up who are opposed to donation outstripped the number of supporters three to two, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday. The Netherlands is due to implement a new law in 2020 which will operate on a 'yes unless' basis. In other words, everyone who does not express a preference will be considered a donor. The debate surrounding the new legislation has encouraged more people to make their wishes known, the CBS said. 'Things will change for people who don't want to become a donor, so they are motivated to have their choice recorded,' a spokesman for the CBS said. A CBS map clearly shows the impact of religion on the choice whether or not to be a donor. In the Dutch Bible belt, there are many areas where fewer than 25% of the population has registered to be a donor. The CBS also says that nearly 26% of Moroccan nationals have registered 'no' to organ donation. This may be because the population is relatively young, and don't see the subject as relevant, or for religious considerations, the CBS said.  More >

People who are sensitive to polluted air are being advised to stay indoors on Tuesday because smog may be problem, the public health institute RIVM said. 'The air quality may be poor nationwide, but the highest concentrations are expected in the east,' a spokesman told broadcaster RTL Nieuws. Smog, made up of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, ozone, smoke or dirt particles, is worst in the afternoon and early evening. Smog develops on sunny days when there is little or no wind and can cause coughing and asthma attacks in sufferers. People may also have irritated eyes, noses and throats. Wednesday is likely to be better as the weather begins to change, the RIVM said. Tuesday is set to be the last of the very hot days and there may be thunderstorms in the south, weather bureau KNMI said. Wednesday and the rest of the week will have temperatures in the mid to low 20s and there will also be some showers.  More >

Around 100 women in the Netherlands die every year because they did not undergo the five-yearly test for cervical cancer, the public health institute RIVM has told the AD. Women in the Netherlands between the ages of 30 and 60 are called up for a test every five years but only 60% of those invited for the screening in the past two years actually turned up. According to the RIVM, between 120 and 150 women who do not have a cervical smear test will die of cervical cancer every year. Of them about 70% die because they did not have a test, or had one too late. Cancer expert Nienke van Trommel told the AD: 'There is a very good chance of beating cervical cancer with this test. So many women are dying unnecessarily.' In June, the RIVM said the sharp drop in the number of teenage girls having vaccinations against cervical cancer could lead to up 80 extra deaths a year. More than half the girls called up last year failed to turn up, and just 45.5% were given the vaccination against the HPV virus, which can cause cervical cancer and is spread by sexual contact, the RIVM said. The number of girls being vaccinated has now gone down 15% over two years. The RIVM said this is ‘extremely worrying’ and a further drop is likely this year.  More >

Amsterdam’s AMC teaching hospital has been ordered to recall its own version of a licenced drug to treat a rare metabolic disorder because the raw materials might contain impurities. Health inspectors have told the hospital to recall the drug henodeoxycholic acid or CDCA because the ingredient from China cannot be properly tested and, therefore, may not be pure. The hospital has now stopped making the drug as a precautionary measure but stresses that further research will determine if the ingredient does actually contain impurities. 'We have tested the ingredient thoroughly to ensure it meets European standards via a certified laboratory,' board member Frida van den Maagdenberg said. 'We are surprised that the inspectors have reached a different decision.' Price The AMC  has been producing the drug since April because it was no longer covered by health insurance after the price shot up. CDCA is produced by Italian pharmaceuticals company Leadiant. On April 1, the company ramped up the price by around 500% so it now costs some €200,000 per patient per year. The hospital said at the time it could produce the drug for €25,000. Hospital pharmacies make their own medicines more often but this case is unusual because of the financial considerations. The hospital is offering ‘a social and economically-responsible alternative to a registered medicine which is so expensive that it is inaccessible to patients,’ the AMC said in April. Few patients Just 60 patients in the Netherlands suffer from the disease CTX which the drug is used to treat. The drug has been available since the 1970s but Leadiant only registered it as an orphan medicine with the European medicines agency last year. Orphan status, given to drugs which are used to treat very specific and rare illnesses, means a drug cannot be copied for a 10-year period. Health minister Bruno Bruins told RTL news in April that he preferred the use of registered medicines because of the tough procedures they have gone through. Nevertheless, he said, it is unacceptable that companies raise the price ‘to make fat profits’.  More >

There has been a sharp rise in the  number of accidents involving electric bikes in the first five months of this year, the AD said on Wednesday. In total, people on e-bikes were involved in 341 accidents in the first part of 2018, a 26% rise on 2017, the paper said, quoting police and insurance company figures. Since 2014, 102 e-bike users have died in traffic accidents, 23 of whom have died since the end of last September. 'More people are using e-bikes, they are fast and don't always look where they are going properly,' said Ad Vonk, of motoring organisation ANWB. 'No-one wants to see injuries but car drivers are always held responsible and should be extra careful.' Last year more people were killed in bike accidents in the Netherlands than in accidents involving cars. Of the 613 people killed on the Dutch roads, 206 were on a bike and 201 in a car. A quarter of the dead cyclists were using an e-bike. E-bike users are particularly prone to head, arm and leg injuries and their injuries are twice as likely to be serious than ordinary bike users, surgeon Jeroen Poos told the paper. Sales of e-bikes have soared by 75% over the past seven years and one-third of all new bicycles are now powered by a battery.  More >