"We think in big pictures but life in details"
And that is not why this might be my biggest article. No it might be my last if i am going to be stabbed by the alcoholic.
Netherlands. ( personal Sunday opinion ) It's been a year since I left my own patients foundation. And just as right after this incident, I now live again out of my backpack. Already one month now. As a refugee ( take this with you ) I have an average of one hour of internet per week. This is caused by the - sponsored by social benefits - alcoholic, who - through government subsidized - debt restructuring was threatening me and tried to stab me with a screwdriver. And, as he told me, he would "betray me with my cannabis". Funny, police, government and justice know who I am and what I do, for over 25 years. I wonder how this will turn out. Or turn some cards. No, I will not criticize addiction counselors anymore for not listening to my observations. They worry more about the "privacy of their client." Well, in a while the client will drink himself to dead. Anyone who knows me, knows I would love to see two things regulated 1) cannabis and its extracts (or tea) justified as medicinal use for any person who can benefit from it and 2) reimbursement for this naturally alternative anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative or appetite stimulant. In the past six years, I came to this conclusion. I have no personal life left over. Once I wanted a big family with many children. So after my divorce i said: never again" but did fall in love with a spectacular woman. And would have gave up everything for the love of my life. Or .. Wait, that doesn't sound good, that's not right .. Forward, never backwards. We (read: government and public services ) investigate too much (read: us) in the wrong areas. They repeatedly look at "spending". And not why a product or service should actually cost as much. ( Hee, Look to the left, and you will not see the right side Hm.. ) This is certainly true for the total cost of all those studies. That is more expensive than direct aid would have. Now, I touch the 'European' refugee problem. Prevention was better than cure ?. Europe is still going to invest in guarding the borders. It costs billions. Sounds familiar ?. Hm. Additionally, anyone who has a pc does think that he or she is a good researcher, knowing 'the' facts or 'finding' investigations is correct and makes them right. But it only works in hand more division. Surveys 'show' that part the researcher wants to push forward, or wants to show. While I looked up an old fashioned recipe for Crepe Suzette, I thought about recent research of GGD ( Municipality Health Services ) about claims in health care "per neighborhood. The one area that claimed most per person (2500 euro on average) while the other area claimed the lowest per person (1500 euro on average). Difference could be caused by the fact the highest claims are in a busy area in a big city, with more pollution, poverty and more unhealthy food. The lowest declarations are in a rural municipality. However, according to residents of the ural village it is caused by the people in the city using.. drugs. I miss a digit in this study. Who pushes those patients with prescriptions and treatments .. Obviously not the country doctor.
You might remember me complaining about the 60/70 euro dutch pharmacies wanted to ask for a medicine-check ?. This medicine check was obligation of pharmacies in the old days, to see if 'all' your medication does not effect the other. The Dutch Health Authority just cut this from the pharmacy bill. Right. I made thai curry today for two elderly ladies. With plenty of veggies and only 50 % of the needed herbs so it would not get too spicy. Too much red pepper can be bad for stomach and heart. With this new project i actually already do for 2 months what the goals are of Foundation "eat with your heart" (site: http://www.eetmetjehart.nl/ ). Sigh. I have too much to read: How a national team wants to limit the inconvenience for health-care and police: the inconvenience caused by the group " mental health clients " ( mentally retarded, manic depressives and addicted people who abuse substances, alcohol and drugs ). Or research on providing vitamin pills to aggressive prisoners. Pretty soon these 'guests' will get medicinal cannabis before real patients can have it. ( hint / source: http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2015/09/05/voedingssupplementen-voor-gevangenen-moeten-agressie-beperken/ ). Another 'nice' one: About insurance companies who obtained confidential patient records from general practitioners. This ( as told ) to detect fraud by healthcare providers. Thanks to Gp Nievaart from the city of Nieuwegein in the Netherlands ( http://www.gezondheidscentrumbatau.nl/websitehuisartsen/index.html ) we got an insight of this mafia-like ways by insurers to lay this down on the desk of a doctor who actually wanted to help patients. A hero because using national media, he risks of being "sued till death" by the insurance companies. Doctor, you would have been a bigger hero if you had put your foot across the first time that a patient record was obtained by the insurance company. Well, Forward, never backwards.
No I will not go on, on the "PGB scandals" ( personal budget ). This was, once, intended as financial support for chronically ill. By a 'not supervisory authority', the middleman or mediator was not properly monitored. Wait, I get confused myself. Complicated. But to put simply: it boils down to this: You have on one side, the governments money. Okay that's still incalculable. On the other side, there are the "sick". Between this two parties: the Social Insurance Office ( a public / municipal body to increase poverty and assistance for financial management ) AND a private financial management company. The last did get money in. But patients did not. Do you still follow ?. Too much money was paid to the private company and now the patient must repay it. What ?. Amounts range from 10.000 to 64.000 euro. Another political riot in a self-created plot. And this is not the first time something 'goes wrong' with these PGB structures, fabricated by governments and municipalities. Earlier big frauds were committed. No, not by those chronically ill. By smart middlemen who skimmed 20 or 40 budgets in the name of others .. Good. Marines move forward..
Refugees at my right, Religious wars to my left and Financial struggles in the back-country. Funny, this country - what was once one of the largest slave traders - are now emerging as ethical regulator of asylum seekers. No it is not funny. Hundreds of thousands face the European ports and it will be millions if Africa is not stabilized soon. Come on, after 'our' 2nd World War, Europe did not need 100 years to rebuild good infrastructure, employment, schools or hospitals. Re-electable politicians go loose - as on a free buffet - with statements as: ,, Every person deserves good health to be able to develop itself in a safe environment ". This calls for extreme statements by Europeans as " own people first ". Alright, life goes on. With or without compensation for my medicinal use of cannabis, whether or not governmental approved. I'm diving into the report named " Fair Insurance Guide " counting a civilized 249 pages. Funny, this report says: We only know long term effects on environment and health of just 14% of all chemical compounds around us. Even funnier is that it suggests that the number of chemical compounds in the air are " more than 80.000 ". No it is no coincidence that 20 years ago I learned that there are over 300.000 to 400.000 chemicals and compounds floating in the air. And back in the 90's we only knew long term effects on the environment and health of 10 % of those 300/400.000. That's 4% gain. No wait.. 14% of 80.000 = 11.200 and 10% of 300/400.000 = 30/40.000. Wait, marines only go forward, not ba... So, conclusion: it is healthier to stick your head in the sand as deep as you can and wait for the sub tropical storms to pass. The only sustainable thing I could find is that, when we die, we stay dead.
Yep, that is right. For now..
The following text is quoted from the report " Policy Research " ( updated assessment - policy insurers ) 04-11-2014 - 2nd update - written by Profunda from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. ( site: www.profundo.nl Download the report in dutch: http://eerlijkegeldwijzer.nl/verzekeringswijzer/onderzoek/ ) for " Fair Insurance Guide ": A joint initiative of six Dutch NGOs: Amnesty International / Animal Protection / FNV Federation of Dutch Trade union / Milieu defense / Oxfam Novib and PAX. The study will be updated every six months. Methodology has been developed by Profundo but final choices of the assessment criteria used, is made by the six organizations. The aim of the project is to promote " corporate social responsibility " (CSR) by Dutch insurers. Fair Insurance Guide focuses on the 'top 10' of life insurers in the Netherlands. This top 10 is founded on the size of the market share in the Dutch life insurance market ( based on sales volume ). The question that the Fair Insurance Guide therefore puts central: To what extent, insurers contribute through their investments and activities that bring a socially just and sustainable world closer.The six civil society organizations that shape the Fair Insurance Guide, have set up a website where customers of insurers and other interested parties can compare policies and practice of the major insurers in the Netherlands ( site: www.eerlijkeverzekeringswijzer.nl ).
(1.3.3.) Review policies for insurance investments: Fair Insurance Guide has chosen to examine policies used for insurance investments by the researched insurers, towards ten themes and nine sectors. The ten themes are the most important international " Sustainability Themes " that are central in the work of the six civil society organizations behind the Fair Insurance Guide: Climate Change / Human Rights / Labour Rights / Weapons / Health / Nature / Animal wellbeing / Taxes and corruption / Transparency and accountability / Bonuses.
Fair Insurance Guide believes that insurers should have a clear policy in all these ten topics, in which they test all their investments. If an insurer invests in companies in sensitive sectors ( which many sustainability issues play ) the insurer should also have a specific sector policy for those sectors. The six civil society organizations currently have selected the following industries: Agriculture / **dammen** / Fishing / Forestry / Mining / Oil & Gas / Manufacturing Industry / Financial Sector / Building and Real Estate.
No total scores. In the view of the Fair Insurance Guide, every insurer must develop a good policy on all ten themes and nine sectors, provided that the insurer has been active in these sectors. A good policy for one or more themes or sectors may not be an argument in any way for an insurer to have no policy or a bad policy in other sectors ( in which the insurer is active ) or themes. For this reason, the Fair Insurance Guide does not calculate total scores or averages for the insurers. Total scores do not reflect reality: almost always it is possible that insurers can improve policies on certain sectors or themes and score enough for other themes and sectors. Furthermore, calculation of total scores might be tempting to conclude that one insurer is more "fair", "sustainable" or "safer" than another ". Pff, End quote.
The report is just 259 pages, with a spectacular list of references. I do not know what is brewing, but i think i might stick to cooking and 'baking'. That is much much more fun..