On Monday, March 9 last, my daughter had an appointment with SZV to renew her medical ID card. When she was called in for her appointment, she was asked about her working hours, to which she replied that sometimes she leaves the office early and works from home when necessary. Because of this, she was told that she will not get a card and that SZV will send someone within 10 working days to the office, to assess.
As it turned out, my wife and I also had an appointment that day to renew our cards. When my turn came to be attended to, I identified myself as the director of the company my daughter works for and informed them that although my daughter is not required to work all day or even every day for that matter, she is on the company payroll and pays all relevant taxes and contributions, which can easily be confirmed by SZV just by going into their system to confirm if they receive contribution payments from my daughter’s salary.
This had no influence on the service provider, who maintained that a decision was taken, and I have to deal with it and wait until they call us. And now we are smack in the middle of a pandemic and my daughter is without her medical ID card.
Now I would be remiss if I did not state that my daughter was off island for an extended period and therefore could not renew her card. This is none of SZV’s business. What needs to be established by SZV is that the company is registered, that the company has its employees registered and that all taxes and contributions are deducted and paid to government and SZV. Now all this was clear and in order, because my wife and I got our cards.
What are we to do if my daughter requires medical attention? Will it then be as generally practiced by this institution, that an emergency card will be issued, and the patient has to come and go a couple of times prior to receiving what they are entitled to?
After a week of waiting, my daughter called SZV to enquire about her card and was told that she has to wait and that they would contact her, while SZV is very aware of the pandemic and the need for medical attention when and if required.
This is not professional, but rather borders on bullying. I therefore request the attention of the Minister of Health to intervene in order for my daughter to receive her entitled medical ID card.
Louis Engel
FUNINCO N.V.
