#MillionsMissing Holland gets the ear of the Minister of Health

#MillionsMissing Holland has made its voice heard in the House of Representatives.  

House of Representatives member Linda Voortman has filed questions about ME based on the protest demands with Holland’s Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, Edith Schippers. In the letter, Voortman asks the minister of health if she is willing to provide more funding for biomedical research, and if she is willing to educate the medical profession about ME. Voortman cites the international #MillionsMissing movement, and also mentions the poor socio-economic position of ME patients.  The letter is reproduced in its entirety below, in English and in Dutch.

“Are you willing to stand up and care for the fate of this group of people? If so, how do you intend to improve the position of this group?” Voortman asks Schippers.

It will take approximately three weeks for the Minister of Health to respond to the letter.

#MillionsMissing Holland is cautiously optimistic about having ME addressed in parliament.

“It’s nice that they have seen and heard us, but we do not expect immediate practical change in response to these parliamentary questions only. It is still necessary to take action — unfortunately,” said Celine Verweij, who helped organize the protest.

Verweij is hopeful that the questions filed by representative Voortman might open doors for talks with local health authorities.

#MillionsMissing Holland will continue the fight, and is beginning to plan for round three of #MillionsMissing. The team is exploring the idea of working closely with Belgium to hold the next protest in Brussels in front of the European Parliament.

Click below to read Voortman’s letter in English.

Save

Save

Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
Email

Latest News

A laptop sitting on a desk. In the background, you can see a cup and saucer, some post-it notes and a folder. On the screen is the Scottish Government's website, with a large title that says 'Scottish Good Practice Statement on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME-CFS).' A red banner is at the bottom of the photo with white writing which says, '#MEAction Scotland responds to the updated Scottish Good Practice Statement on ME.’ The ME Action Scotland logo is in the top left corner.

#MEAction Scotland responds to the updated Scottish Good Practice Statement

The Scottish Government published the updated Scottish Good Practice Statement (SGPS) on ME-CFS on 28th February 2023.  The decision to update the Scottish Good Practice Statement, originally published in 2010, was a result of the Scottish stakeholder review of the 2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS, and its recommendations for implementing the guideline in Scotland. The

Read More »

Help keep our work going

We rely on donations from people like you to keep fighting for equality for people with ME.

Donate

Get actions alerts and news direct to your inbox

You can choose what you want to be kept up to date on.

Subscribe
Scroll to Top