Frequently asked questions about coronavirus

HMC is a safe place for all our patients, visitors and employees – even during coronavirus. Our hospital puts in place a large number of measures and our care provision is subject to strict rules that protect everyone at the hospital from infection, no matter how long or short their stay. Be in no doubt you will be in good hands. We greatly appreciate everyone abiding by the rules and are immensely grateful for the support shown by so many during these exceptional times. Thank you!

Ongoing care
Patient care is taking place as normal as much as possible. We not only provide care to patients suffering, or potentially suffering, from coronavirus. Naturally, the hospital is open and available for all urgent care, such as accident and emergency care, obstetrics, brain surgery or oncology. The hospital is also available for any non-urgent queries as normal – your HMC doctor will be able to assess whether a video or phone consultation or a hospital consultation is required. Making a reasoned assessment will prevent too many people from sitting in the waiting area at the same time.

What this means for you?

• Urgent care needs? Our hospital is always available for emergencies. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Including throughout the coronavirus crisis. Do not come to the hospital straightaway. Always phone a doctor first:
  • in life-threatening situations: call 112
  • urgent care during office hours: call your GP or your HMC doctor
  • urgent care outside of office hours or during the weekend: call the GP out-of-hours service (Hadoks) on 070 346 96 69

If your GP or your HMC doctor decides that you should be seen as a matter of urgency, then we will accommodate you at the hospital as soon as possible.

• Non-urgent care needs? Please call your GP or your HMC doctor. Please do not hesitate to phone – even during the coronavirus crisis. In order to prevent infection with coronavirus, we are currently scheduling as many video or phone consultations as possible. This is to minimise the number of people visiting the hospital. If you have been referred for an appointment by your doctor or GP, we will do the following:
  • Your HMC doctor will determine whether having the consultation take place by phone or by video link is medically justifiable. If so, the relevant consultation will be scheduled.
  • If your HMC doctor determines that we need to see you at the hospital, then we will review the options to schedule a consultation.

It may take us some time to schedule an appointment. It may be the case that you will be placed on a call list. In any case, you will be notified as soon as we can schedule an appointment. We hope we can count on your understanding.

• Existing appointments? It may be the case that your appointment at the outpatient clinic or for surgery may be rescheduled. Occasionally, your outpatient clinic appointment will be replaced by a consultation by phone or video. We will only change your appointment if your treating physician has determined a phone consultation or postponement to be medically justifiable. In the event of a change to your appointment, we will in any case contact you in advance. You will not have to take any action yourself. If you are suffering from acute symptoms, please do not hesitate to contact us.
• Has your appointment been moved? Now that the coronavirus situation is stabilising, we would like to take steps to reschedule appointments and operations that had to be cancelled earlier. Our medical staff will assess which patients are most urgently in need of care, based on national guidelines set by the Dutch Healthcare Authority. We will contact you when your appointment is ready to be rescheduled. You do not have to take any action yourself.

Fever and/or respiratory symptoms
Please do not come to HMC if you have a fever and/or respiratory symptoms, such as a cold, a cough, sore throat or shortness of breath. In such cases, please call the department at which you have an appointment on 088 979 79 00.

Visitors and companions
HMC is seeking to minimise the number of visitors to the hospital. Those who do visit the hospital must comply with the strict rules and protocols in place during the coronavirus crisis. In this way, we will be able to protect patients and employees from coronavirus.

What this means for you?

• At the entrance of HMC Antoniushove, HMC Bronovo and HMC Westeinde, you will be checked for fever using an ear thermometer. If your temperature is 38 degrees or above, we kindly request that you return home, unless you have an urgent medical appointment.
• Visiting a patient suffering from coronavirus Please always phone the department in advance, to allow the visit to take place safely for all parties involved.
• Inpatients are permitted no more than 1 visitor per day. In exceptional circumstances, an exception can be made in consultation with the department, for example, if the patient is terminally ill.
• From 18 May, we will ask A&E patients and other outpatients to attend appointments on their own. We will be able to make exceptions in exceptional circumstances in consultation with the department, for example for patients who have difficulty walking.

Visiting family members/next of kin if you have a fever/respiratory symptoms
Please do not visit the hospital. Once you no longer have a fever and are free from all other symptoms, we will be happy to welcome you as a visitor to our hospital once again.

Coordinating visits
If you would like to visit HMC, then please coordinate the time and date with your family or friend(s) that you wish to visit. This will avoid any unfortunate situations.

Digital hospital visits
You will also be able to keep in touch with your loved ones through digital means if he/she has been admitted to the clinic or has an appointment at the outpatient clinic – for example, through phone or video calls or by using WhatsApp.

Tip! As a patient, you are able to record your consultations with your doctor on your mobile phone. In addition, you can also put your phone on speaker to allow your next of kin to listen in.

Information meetings
All information meetings for patients at HMC have been cancelled for the time being. Where possible, we are reviewing the digital alternatives.

Additional questions
Please consult our frequently asked questions.
We are trying to keep our hospital as easily accessible and available as possible. For that reason, we have established the following rules for telephone calls during the coronavirus crisis:

• Please do not phone us regarding your appointment. If your appointment should change, you will be notified.
• If you are currently an HMC patient, then you will be able to contact us by phone if you have medical complaints.
• In case of an emergency, please always phone a doctor first (please see What should you do in an emergency?)

For general questions about coronavirus, please visit the RIVM website

Fever and/or respiratory symptoms
Please do not come to HMC if you have a fever and/or respiratory symptoms, such as a cold, a cough, sore throat or shortness of breath. In such cases, please call the department at which you have an appointment on 088 979 79 00.

• Urgent care needs? Our hospital is always available for emergencies. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Including throughout the coronavirus crisis. Do not come to the hospital straightaway. Always phone a doctor first:
  • in life-threatening situations: call 112
  • urgent care during office hours: call your GP or your HMC doctor
  • urgent care outside of office hours or during the weekend: call the GP out-of-hours service (Hadoks) on 070 346 96 69

If your GP or your HMC doctor decides that you should be seen as a matter of urgency, then we will accommodate you at the hospital as soon as possible.

• Non-urgent care needs? Please call your GP or your HMC doctor. Please do not hesitate to phone – even during the coronavirus crisis. In order to prevent infection with coronavirus, we are currently scheduling as many video or phone consultations as possible. This is to minimise the number of people visiting the hospital. If you have been referred for an appointment by your doctor or GP, we will do the following:
  • Your HMC doctor will determine whether having the consultation take place by phone or by video link is medically justifiable. If so, the relevant consultation will be scheduled.
  • If your HMC doctor determines that we need to see you at the hospital, then we will review the options to schedule a consultation.

It may take us some time to schedule an appointment. It may be the case that you will be placed on a call list. In any case, you will be notified as soon as we can schedule an appointment. We hope we can count on your understanding.

• Existing appointments? It may be the case that your appointment at the outpatient clinic or for surgery may be rescheduled. Occasionally, your outpatient clinic appointment will be replaced by a consultation by phone or video. We will only change your appointment if your treating physician has determined a phone consultation or postponement to be medically justifiable. In the event of a change to your appointment, we will in any case contact you in advance. You will not have to take any action yourself. If you are suffering from acute symptoms, please do not hesitate to contact us.
• Has your appointment been moved? Now that the coronavirus situation is stabilising, we would like to take steps to reschedule appointments and operations that had to be cancelled earlier. Our medical staff will assess which patients are most urgently in need of care, based on national guidelines set by the Dutch Healthcare Authority. We will contact you when your appointment is ready to be rescheduled. You do not have to take any action yourself.

Visitors and companions
HMC is seeking to minimise the number of visitors to the hospital. Those who do visit the hospital must comply with the strict rules and protocols in place during the coronavirus crisis. In this way, we will be able to protect patients and employees from coronavirus.

What this means for you?

• At the entrance of HMC Antoniushove, HMC Bronovo and HMC Westeinde, you will be checked for fever using an ear thermometer. If your temperature is 38 degrees or above, we kindly request that you return home, unless you have an urgent medical appointment.
• Visiting a patient suffering from coronavirus Please always phone the department in advance, to allow the visit to take place safely for all parties involved.
• Inpatients are permitted no more than 1 visitor per day. In exceptional circumstances, an exception can be made in consultation with the department, for example, if the patient is terminally ill.
• From 18 May, we will ask A&E patients and other outpatients to attend appointments on their own. We will be able to make exceptions in exceptional circumstances in consultation with the department, for example for patients who have difficulty walking.

Visiting family members/next of kin if you have a fever/respiratory symptoms
Please do not visit the hospital. Once you no longer have a fever and are free from all other symptoms, we will be happy to welcome you as a visitor to our hospital once again.

Coordinating visits
If you would like to visit HMC, then please coordinate the time and date with your family or friend(s) that you wish to visit. This will avoid any unfortunate situations.

Digital hospital visits
You will also be able to keep in touch with your loved ones through digital means if he/she has been admitted to the clinic or has an appointment at the outpatient clinic – for example, through phone or video calls or by using WhatsApp.

Tip! As a patient, you are able to record your consultations with your doctor on your mobile phone. In addition, you can also put your phone on speaker to allow your next of kin to listen in.

Patient care is taking place as normal as much as possible. We not only provide care to patients suffering, or potentially suffering, from coronavirus. Naturally, the hospital is open and available for all urgent care, such as accident and emergency care, obstetrics, brain surgery or oncology. The hospital is also available for any non-urgent queries as normal – your HMC doctor will be able to assess whether a video or phone consultation or a hospital consultation is required. Making a reasoned assessment will prevent too many people from sitting in the waiting area at the same time.

What this means for you?

• Urgent care needs? Our hospital is always available for emergencies. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Including throughout the coronavirus crisis. Do not come to the hospital straightaway. Always phone a doctor first:
  • in life-threatening situations: call 112
  • urgent care during office hours: call your GP or your HMC doctor
  • urgent care outside of office hours or during the weekend: call the GP out-of-hours service (Hadoks) on 070 346 96 69

If your GP or your HMC doctor decides that you should be seen as a matter of urgency, then we will accommodate you at the hospital as soon as possible.

• Non-urgent care needs? Please call your GP or your HMC doctor. Please do not hesitate to phone – even during the coronavirus crisis. In order to prevent infection with coronavirus, we are currently scheduling as many video or phone consultations as possible. This is to minimise the number of people visiting the hospital. If you have been referred for an appointment by your doctor or GP, we will do the following:
  • Your HMC doctor will determine whether having the consultation take place by phone or by video link is medically justifiable. If so, the relevant consultation will be scheduled.
  • If your HMC doctor determines that we need to see you at the hospital, then we will review the options to schedule a consultation.

It may take us some time to schedule an appointment. It may be the case that you will be placed on a call list. In any case, you will be notified as soon as we can schedule an appointment. We hope we can count on your understanding.

• Existing appointments? It may be the case that your appointment at the outpatient clinic or for surgery may be rescheduled. Occasionally, your outpatient clinic appointment will be replaced by a consultation by phone or video. We will only change your appointment if your treating physician has determined a phone consultation or postponement to be medically justifiable. In the event of a change to your appointment, we will in any case contact you in advance. You will not have to take any action yourself. If you are suffering from acute symptoms, please do not hesitate to contact us.
• Has your appointment been moved? Now that the coronavirus situation is stabilising, we would like to take steps to reschedule appointments and operations that had to be cancelled earlier. Our medical staff will assess which patients are most urgently in need of care, based on national guidelines set by the Dutch Healthcare Authority. We will contact you when your appointment is ready to be rescheduled. You do not have to take any action yourself.

Fever and/or respiratory symptoms
Please do not come to HMC if you have a fever and/or respiratory symptoms, such as a cold, a cough, sore throat or shortness of breath. In such cases, please call the department at which you have an appointment on 088 979 79 00.

Visitors and companions
HMC is seeking to minimise the number of visitors to the hospital. Those who do visit the hospital must comply with the strict rules and protocols in place during the coronavirus crisis. In this way, we will be able to protect patients and employees from coronavirus.

What this means for you?

• At the entrance of HMC Antoniushove, HMC Bronovo and HMC Westeinde, you will be checked for fever using an ear thermometer. If your temperature is 38 degrees or above, we kindly request that you return home, unless you have an urgent medical appointment.
• Visiting a patient suffering from coronavirus Please always phone the department in advance, to allow the visit to take place safely for all parties involved.
• Inpatients are permitted no more than 1 visitor per day. In exceptional circumstances, an exception can be made in consultation with the department, for example, if the patient is terminally ill.
• From 18 May, we will ask A&E patients and other outpatients to attend appointments on their own. We will be able to make exceptions in exceptional circumstances in consultation with the department, for example for patients who have difficulty walking.

Visiting family members/next of kin if you have a fever/respiratory symptoms
Please do not visit the hospital. Once you no longer have a fever and are free from all other symptoms, we will be happy to welcome you as a visitor to our hospital once again.

Coordinating visits
If you would like to visit HMC, then please coordinate the time and date with your family or friend(s) that you wish to visit. This will avoid any unfortunate situations.

Digital hospital visits
You will also be able to keep in touch with your loved ones through digital means if he/she has been admitted to the clinic or has an appointment at the outpatient clinic – for example, through phone or video calls or by using WhatsApp.

Tip! As a patient, you are able to record your consultations with your doctor on your mobile phone. In addition, you can also put your phone on speaker to allow your next of kin to listen in.

Information meetings
All information meetings for patients at HMC have been cancelled for the time being. Where possible, we are reviewing the digital alternatives.

No, do not come to hospital. Instead, phone your GP or your local Municipal Health Service (GGD). If you have any doubts, you can contact the department with which you have an appointment by phone on 088 979 79 00.

It may be the case that your appointment at the outpatient clinic or for surgery may be rescheduled. Occasionally, your outpatient clinic appointment will be replaced by a consultation by phone or video. We will only change your appointment if your treating physician has determined a phone consultation or postponement to be medically justifiable. In the event of a change to your appointment, we will in any case contact you in advance. You will not have to take any action yourself. If you are suffering from acute symptoms, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Patient care is taking place as normal as much as possible. We not only provide care to patients suffering, or potentially suffering, from coronavirus. Naturally, the hospital is open and available for all urgent care, such as accident and emergency care, obstetrics, brain surgery or oncology. The hospital is also available for any non-urgent queries as normal – your HMC doctor will be able to assess whether a video or phone consultation or a hospital consultation is required. Making a reasoned assessment will prevent too many people from sitting in the waiting area at the same time.

What this means for you?

• Urgent care needs? Our hospital is always available for emergencies. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Including throughout the coronavirus crisis. Do not come to the hospital straightaway. Always phone a doctor first:
  • in life-threatening situations: call 112
  • urgent care during office hours: call your GP or your HMC doctor
  • urgent care outside of office hours or during the weekend: call the GP out-of-hours service (Hadoks) on 070 346 96 69

If your GP or your HMC doctor decides that you should be seen as a matter of urgency, then we will accommodate you at the hospital as soon as possible.

• Non-urgent care needs? Please call your GP or your HMC doctor. Please do not hesitate to phone – even during the coronavirus crisis. In order to prevent infection with coronavirus, we are currently scheduling as many video or phone consultations as possible. This is to minimise the number of people visiting the hospital. If you have been referred for an appointment by your doctor or GP, we will do the following:
  • Your HMC doctor will determine whether having the consultation take place by phone or by video link is medically justifiable. If so, the relevant consultation will be scheduled.
  • If your HMC doctor determines that we need to see you at the hospital, then we will review the options to schedule a consultation.

It may take us some time to schedule an appointment. It may be the case that you will be placed on a call list. In any case, you will be notified as soon as we can schedule an appointment. We hope we can count on your understanding.

Fever and/or respiratory symptoms
Please do not come to HMC if you have a fever and/or respiratory symptoms, such as a cold, a cough, sore throat or shortness of breath. In such cases, please call the department at which you have an appointment on 088 979 79 00.

No, there's no reason to worry. Any staff with flu-like symptoms are not permitted to come to work.

HMC is seeking to minimise the number of visitors to the hospital. Those who do visit the hospital must comply with the strict rules and protocols in place during the coronavirus crisis. In this way, we will be able to protect patients and employees from coronavirus.

What this means for you?

• At the entrance of HMC Antoniushove, HMC Bronovo and HMC Westeinde, you will be checked for fever using an ear thermometer. If your temperature is 38 degrees or above, we kindly request that you return home, unless you have an urgent medical appointment.
• Visiting a patient suffering from coronavirus Please always phone the department in advance, to allow the visit to take place safely for all parties involved.
• Inpatients are permitted no more than 1 visitor per day. In exceptional circumstances, an exception can be made in consultation with the department, for example, if the patient is terminally ill.
• From 18 May, we will ask A&E patients and other outpatients to attend appointments on their own. We will be able to make exceptions in exceptional circumstances in consultation with the department, for example for patients who have difficulty walking.

Visiting family members/next of kin if you have a fever/respiratory symptoms
Please do not visit the hospital. Once you no longer have a fever and are free from all other symptoms, we will be happy to welcome you as a visitor to our hospital once again.

Coordinating visits
If you would like to visit HMC, then please coordinate the time and date with your family or friend(s) that you wish to visit. This will avoid any unfortunate situations.

Digital hospital visits
You will also be able to keep in touch with your loved ones through digital means if he/she has been admitted to the clinic or has an appointment at the outpatient clinic – for example, through phone or video calls or by using WhatsApp.

Tip! As a patient, you are able to record your consultations with your doctor on your mobile phone. In addition, you can also put your phone on speaker to allow your next of kin to listen in.

Information meetings
All information meetings for patients at HMC have been cancelled for the time being. Where possible, we are reviewing the digital alternatives.

No, there's no reason to worry. We are monitoring the situation extremely closely.

The patients admitted to HMC Westeinde with COVID-19 were immediately placed in isolation to ensure that patients and staff at HMC are protected against further spread of the virus.

The HMC staff members with COVID-19 are in self-isolation at home.

Strict protocols are in place and we have decided to implement strict prevention measures. These measures are often put into practice for patients infected with a contagious bacteria or virus, so our employees are fully aware of exactly what to do in order to avoid infecting others. These measures help us to optimally protect patients, visitors and employees against infection.

The patients are placed in isolation to ensure that patients and staff at HMC are protected against further spread of the virus. Via our live blog (in Dutch), we provide up-to-date information about the latest circumstances.

If patients report to the hospital with respiratory complaints, they will be placed in strict isolation and tested, regardless of whether or not they are from an at-risk area. We have a sufficient supply of protective materials and can make extra beds available if required.
Our team of medical specialists in the field of infectious diseases is continually monitoring the situation. We were well-prepared for the developments concerning coronavirus and we took into account the possibility of patients reporting to HMC who are or are suspected to be infected with COVID-19. Strict protocols are in place and we have decided to implement strict prevention measures. These measures help us to optimally protect patients, visitors and employees against infection.

No, Pregnant women are no more or less likely to become infected with the virus than non-pregnant women. In the event that they are infected, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) states that the course of the illness is the same and there is no elevated risk of a miscarriage or birth defects.

Our information meetings on pregnancy and childbirth have been provisionally cancelled and we are currently working on alternatives. Have you registered for the meetings via the e-mail address patvoor@haaglandenmc.nl? If so, you will automatically be informed once alternatives have been arranged.

If you have not yet registered but would like to attend, send an e-mail to patvoor@haaglandenmc.nl
We will let you know once alternative arrangements have been made.

Deliveries in HMC to continue
Deliveries in HMC are currently continuing as normal. In order to ensure the necessary care and minimise the spread of the virus, however, the obstetrics department has taken additional measures. Have you just given birth in HMC, or are you going to give birth soon? We have listed the most important information for you below. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

Before the delivery

• All necessary checks for pregnant women at the outpatient clinic will continue.
• As a pregnant woman, you may be placed in a room with other patients. This is not our usual policy, but unfortunately, we are now forced to do so. The rooms are spacious enough and there is sufficient distance between the beds.
• What if you are coming to the hospital and you or anyone in your immediate vicinity have any symptoms such as coughing, a cold, fever or sore throat? Always notify us of this fact, even in cases of doubt. You can do so by phone at 088 9792104. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that you have a great responsibility in this regard. This is in the interest of your own health and that of other patients and employees.
• Strict visiting rules apply. When you come to the hospital, you may bring one person to accompany you. If this person has symptoms (see above), they cannot accompany you. When you are going to give birth, the following rules apply.

 Deliveries

• Deliveries in HMC will continue as normal. There are sufficient delivery rooms to ensure that all pregnant women can give birth under the supervision of healthcare professionals. All our delivery rooms are single rooms.
• During the birth, a maximum of one person may be present to accompany you. If this person has symptoms (see above), strict isolation measures apply to you, the person accompanying you and our employees. It is therefore extremely important that you notify us of this fact. You can do so by phone at 088 9792104. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that you have a great responsibility in this regard, in the interest of your own health and that of other patients and employees. Unfortunately, this means it will not be possible to come to the hospital with both your partner and your doula, for example.

After the delivery 

• As a new mother, you may end up in a room with other patients. This is not our usual policy, but unfortunately, we are now forced to do so. The rooms are spacious enough and there is sufficient distance between the beds. Strict visiting rules apply. While you are staying in the hospital, you may designate one person to come and visit you. If this person has symptoms (see above), he or she will not be permitted to visit.
• This means that siblings are not permitted to visit.
• In order to avoid unpleasant situations, we would ask everyone to coordinate the permitted visit properly with all the close relatives.
• Paediatric ward
• If your baby is admitted to the paediatric ward, strict visiting measures will also apply.
• Only parental caregivers (up to two) are permitted to visit, one of whom can stay the night. For the time being, this means that visits by siblings are not permitted.

The above measures are in the interest of your own health, your baby's health and the health of our employees. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

Do you have any urgent issues? If so, don't hesitate to call us (088 9792104). Based on your issue, we will advise you on the best course of action.

Dear madam,

After the press conference of the Prime Minister on May 6 the national organisations involved with pregnancy care (NVOG, KNOV en BEN) have looked at possible ways to ease the current protocol. Social, medical and safety issues have been reviewed. Requests to allow partners to come to check-ups have been taken into account. The risk of attracting Covid-19 is reduced by restriction on physical contact and mobility, personal hygiene and 1,5 m distancing. We continue to ask everyone involved to take their own responsibility to keep the risk of infection of patients, partners, caretakers to a minimum.

On May 8 a number of recommendations to relax the current stringent measures were published. However, restraint in implementation was emphasised especially where local circumstances and capacity is restricted. In combination with the suggestions as published in the press the HMC has come to the following policy changes:

1. Only in cases when there is an absolute necessity partners are allowed to come (e.g. the nature of the consultation, such as bad news, serious afflictions). For normal check-ups women come alone.
2. Partners are allowed to come along for the 20 weeks structural scan (SEO, GUO). For routine scans such as fetal growth etc they are not allowed to come.
3. Partners are allowed in the delivery room during labour and delivery. More than one person is not allowed.
4. Visitors to the maternity ward remains restricted to one person only.

The reason for not strictly following the national recommendations is that otherwise the HMC cannot guarantee the precautionary methods to prevent infections to work. Should partners be allowed to come to all clinic appointments and ultrasound scan investigations, the waiting areas will be so packed that 1,5 m distancing will not be possible and a potentially dangerous situation will ensue. With these measures we aim to minimise the number of visitors to the hospital in order to keep chances on infection to a minimum.

The measures are considered to be temporary and are evaluated on a weekly basis. We aim to go back to the situation we had before Covid-19 entered as soon as possible with safety as the prevailing factor in this proces.

Not only patients but also all visitors are screened for Covid-19 symptoms of infection. A distance of 1,5 m will be maintained in the waiting area and in the treatment rooms as much as possible. See also the Dutch FMS-leidraad Persoonlijke bescherming in de (poli)klinische setting vanwege SARS-CoV-19 en de NHG-standaard ‘Persoonlijke bescherming’ 

Yours faithfully,

The HMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

More information about the virus can be found on the website of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). If you would rather contact the RIVM by phone, you can call them on 0800-1351.

This telephone number is open every day from 8.00 a.m. until 8.00 p.m.
Visit our live blog (in Dutch) to keep up with all the latest developments.