In reaction on a recent article in a newspaper on Bonaire, the head of the department of the Health Insurance Office (ZVK), mr. Jan Pieter van Zandwijk, gave the following reaction:
"I understand there is unrest among the community of Bonaire regarding the number of persons who have died in recent times on the island. A death always results in a difficult period and raises questions. The statements about generic and branded medicines could have resulted in more unrest, and that is unpleasant. There is no connection between the change over from branded medicine to generic medicine and the cases of death. Changing from branded to generic with this risk would have never been permitted by the doctors and pharmacists and that is absolutely not the intention of the Health Insurance Office (ZVK) and the Ministry of Health. The health care and the evaluation of risks are a priority. Doctors and pharmacists can calculate these risks well.
During the recent press conference on Bonaire there was absolutely no talk about a causal connection between the number of deaths and the use of generic medicine. Generic medicines are medicines which contain the same components as banded medicine. Stronger yet, this is legally safeguarded.
The generic medicines are covered in accordance with the compensation list of the Health Insurance Office (ZVK). These medicines are related to pharmacotherapy Kompas and are reliable. The Kompas is a collection of medicine which is brought on the market. This listed is supplemented regularly and/or medicines are removed. The pharmacotherapy Kompas is put together by the Board for Health Insurances (College van Zorgverzekeringen CZV) and comprises experts who compile the medicine list. The Board is responsible for actuality of the medicines that are distributed.
The formula of the medicine list for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba is therefore directly deduced from de pharmacotherapy Kompas. The complete list is available for pharmacists, doctors as well as patients. (the list is available on the RCN website http://www.rijksdienstcn.com/pagina/190/zorg-pakket-medicijnen.html)
Our list of compensated medicines is derivative thereof. In other words: the medicines on the list of compensated medicines are also to be found of the list of Kompas. The role of the pharmacists is, in the event that a branded medicine is prescribed, to have this replaced with a generic medicine, in consultation with the doctor.
Apart from that Mr. van Zandwijk would like to note that the introduction of generic medicine took place in the Antilles already since 2006 and is therefore not new".