The corona crisis has led to a lot of reflection. In these difficult times, that is a bright side of humanity. In Asia, Europe and America, we suddenly had all the time to think about our own lives and the world around us. More sports were done outside. We got in touch with each other in a different way. The luxury of the past was clearly missed and I saw people on the street simply greeting each other. In some areas, we returned to that cordiality. At the same time, we saw the whole of the Netherlands hoarding toilet paper and a competitive market for face masks emerging.
For FHI, it was an experience in itself to be allowed to host the National Consortium for Medical Aids. It was only at the beginning of March that it became clear in the publicity how quickly the pandemic was also developing in the Netherlands. The demand for personal protective equipment shot through the roof worldwide and the market became a playground for vague types. All kinds of 'entrepreneurs' could offer medical equipment, but hardly anyone knew whether it could be delivered and what quality the equipment offered would be. The demand for face masks was so great that orders and payments were made at random.
Healthcare professionals, those responsible in the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and companies involved in the Medical Technology sector realised that strong and effective cooperation was required. The consortium joined FHI on 20 March 2020 and the National Consortium for Medical Devices (LCH) was officially launched on 23 March. This allowed a broad group of professionals to use a neutral and unknown location to achieve a concrete collective goal. This common goal was clear to everyone from the start: getting the right resources to the right places in healthcare, for patients and staff, without a profit motive.
That's a hell of a job. To understand that context, I'll try to describe the situation as briefly and clearly as possible.
Everyone saw the corona wave coming and yet many were surprised. The systems in healthcare were not prepared for it and so all institutions seemed to have to fight for themselves to secure sufficient protective equipment. Anyone who seemed to have something to offer shot a proposal into the air. In healthcare, quality requirements are not an unnecessary luxury. This meant that the work became more complex: being able to order sufficient resources from a reliable source that can deliver quality and where physical distribution to the desired locations is made possible. If this also has to be done with the right coordination between supply and demand, then we are talking about top sport in a specific market. Members from the Medical Technology sector, healthcare professionals and responsible people from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport sought out the top performers.
So those top people came to FHI from 20 March 2020. They brought in professionals again, who were deemed necessary from that moment on. In the first days I let people in, but in an international competitive market that was not sustainable. Professional security was brought in and the cyber security of the necessary systems was provided at a high level.
The facilities were offered by FHI to optimally facilitate all experts within the LCH. This was very necessary to make top-level sport possible in a few weeks. Not being stuck in all kinds of procedures or rules, but still doing things that were in accordance with the requirements of quality. An exciting balance between action and process control.
The organizational form varied per day or per week. The battle between the doers and the bureaucrats was also sometimes felt, but in the end everything fell into place because of the common goal: securing good supplies for healthcare. This was visualized by cardboard signs of nurses with aprons and face masks on. Every time you saw the end goal on the stands of our atrium.
The LCH team had to break through barriers of various disciplines (purchasing, trade, finance, logistics and distribution) to achieve that goal. All kinds of social conventions were thrown aside in order to achieve the desired speed and flexibility. In order to facilitate the masses later in the process, it was very pleasant that bureaucratic qualities and good descriptions of procedures were used. In short, the collaboration of professionals changed itself continuously in order to remain focused on the goal of public health.
During that period it also became increasingly clear that the fairs and events that FHI organizes with members and exhibitors had to be moved. It seemed as if the bottom was being knocked out from under our core business. Of course, events and fairs are important activities of FHI, but the basis lies in a strong and intensive collaboration to unite supply and demand in a good way.
Members who are active in the Industrial Electronics sector recognize this in a gadget project. In such a project, fifty companies can work together over the shadows of competition to collect a technically interesting electronic gadget on the trade fair floor. This is also recognized by the market. This can be directly compared with the concrete results in the collaboration of the LCH.
All those involved in the National Consortium for Aids are proud of this. The technical briefing to the House of Representatives committee on 30 April by Rob van der Kolk, coordinator of LCH, was followed by the team in the atrium. He indicated in a very clear manner what had been achieved in a few weeks and how strong that force was for healthcare. His answers to questions from the committee members were supported with applause. The LCH team knew what they were doing and that there would not be many examples in the world that had also pulled off this trick.
Due to the corona crisis, we are facing a difficult time worldwide. New developments in healthcare, society and the economy will occur. We see these waves coming and, just like in March 2020, we are not or insufficiently prepared for them. The example has been set. We will get through this through cooperation. That requires a lot from people, but it will also generate a lot of positive energy.
Paul Petersen, director of FHI
Nederlands