Volksgezondheid: een assepoester in de Nederlandse politiek. Een analyse toegespitst op de sociaal-democratie

Abstract

Public Health: a Cinderella in Dutch politics. Public Health has been a Cinderella in Dutch politics. Health policy has two components. First, protecting or promoting public health by taking measures in other policy areas, such as housing, work, sanitation, and social security. Successive cabinets in the Netherlands have taken measures in these fields, but not with the furthering of public health in mind. Second, health care policy. Through the years, the Dutch government has shown a lack of interest in developing a national health care policy for various reasons, such as failing appreciation and insight, antagonistic feelings towards health care professionals and organizations, and improvement of public health in spite of a lack of health care policy. Private organizations filled the gap and began to dominate the health care scene in the Netherlands. After World War II, especially since the seventies, government and parliament have taken a stronger interest in health care policy, but the private organizations maintained considerable power. The history of the lack of political interest in public health and of the acceptance of the predominant position of private organizations is illustrated by describing the views of social-democrats regarding the fight against tuberculosis.